Senegal presidential election 2024: Macky Sall agree to obey constitutional council wey cancel election postponement

Senegal President Macky Sall agree to obey constitutional council wey cancel election postponement

Senegal President Macky Sall don tok say im go abide by di ruling of di constitutional council wey cancel im decision to postpone presidential election to 15 December.

Di decision to postpone di February 25 election for Senegal dey against di constitution, di kontri top court bin rule.

Di president tok say im go start tok -tok wit all relevant stakeholders to hold elections as soon as possible.

Ever since im announce say im wan delay di elections two weeks ago, President Macky Sall bin dey under immense pressure to reverse im decision.

Dem neva give new date for di election, but for dia ruling, di constitutional council tok say di president no fit stay in power beyond di end of im term on 2 April.

France and di European Union don urge Mr Sall to comply wit di decision.

Widespread protests bin grip Senegal, wey once dey considered as bastion of democracy for di region.

Opposition figures tok say di postponement of di election to 15 December amount to "constitutional coup".

Oga Sall bin announce say e dey push di election back sake of worry ova di eligibility of opposition candidates.

Im proposal dey backed by 105 out of di 165 MPs afta shouting debate wey see police remove some opposition MPs from di chamber. One six-month postponement dey originally proposed, but one last-minute amendment bin extend am to 10 months, meaning one new election date of 15 December.

Oga Sall bin repeat say e no get plan to run for office again. But im critics accuse am say e either dey try to cling to power or unfairly dey influence whoever succeed am.

Opposition candidates and lawmakers, wey bin file one number of legal challenges to di bill, go feel vindicated by di court decision on Thursday evening.

Khalifa Sall, one leading opponent and one former mayor of di capital Dakar, wey no dey related to di president, bin call di delay one "constitutional coup", while Thierno Alassane Sall, anoda candidate, also no relation, call am "high treason".

Di court say e "no possible" for di election to hold on di original date of 25 February - just 10 days away - but urge authorities to organise am "as soon as possible".

While di election fit hold bifo April, di gbege wey lead to di polls to dey postponed for di first place remain unresolved, including allegations of corruption for di Constitutional Court and objections from opposition candidates wey don dey excluded from di candidate list wey dey published last month.

To hold di elections wit di candidate list wey get issue fit renew kasala and violence by supporters of dose wey dem no allow to contest, in particular Ousmane Sonko, wey dey popular wella among young Senegalese.

Most candidates no bin dey campaign since President Sall issue im 3 February decree, hours bifor campaigns suppose kick off.

Di decision come same day dem release some opposition politicians and civil society members from prison, for wetin some of di kontri view as move to appease public opinion.

Senegal for long be one of di most stable democracies for di region- as many see am.

E be di only kontri for mainland West Africa wey neva get military coup. E don get three largely peaceful handovers of power and until earlier dis month neva delay presidential election.