Senegal: President Pledges Election 'as Soon as Possible'

Facts

• Senegalese Pres. Macky Sall on Friday vowed to carry out, without delay, consultations to hold the presidential election 'as soon as possible.'¹
• This comes a day after the country's top court ruled that a bill postponing the national vote — initially planned for Feb. 25 — to Dec. 15 was unconstitutional, and ordered the poll to be conducted at the earliest feasible date.²
• Furthermore, the Constitutional Council said that Sall must leave office on April 2, when his second and final term ends. The EU and West Africa's regional bloc ECOWAS have also called on him to comply with the court's decision.³
• While a new election date has yet to be set, according to the Senegalese constitution, electoral authorities must organize the vote no later than 30 days before a president's mandate expires.⁴
• Senegal has been engulfed in turmoil since Sall announced the move to postpone the poll. Three people have been killed during widespread protests, though the demonstrations reportedly lost momentum on Friday.⁵
• Meanwhile, Sall is reportedly planning to free hundreds of political detainees, including the popular opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, who has been barred from running for office over a defamation case.⁶

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²New York Times, ³BBC News, ⁴Bloomberg, ⁵Le Monde.fr and ⁶CNN.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Dw.Com. Given that Macky Sall has sought to extend his tenure beyond the constitutional limits, his vows to comply with the ruling from the top court in Senegal and hold presidential elections 'as soon as possible' means little. As Sall will set the date for the vote, it wouldn't be surprising if the balloting only takes place long after his term has ended.
• Narrative B, as provided by Africanews. Despite baseless allegations against him, Sall has never aspired to be a dictator. His decisions regarding the upcoming elections were intended to strengthen Senegalese democracy for future generations and avoid worse electoral chaos amid escalating crises. Before heading to the polls, the nation must engage in dialogue to heal divisions and reduce tensions.

Predictions