Senegal's president pledges to comply with Constitutional Council's ruling, hold presidential poll soon

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) – A day after Senegal's Constitutional Council ruled that postponing the presidential election was unconstitutional, President Macky Sall on Friday pledged the nation to hold the poll "as soon as possible."

Sall's commitment came a day after the Constitutional Council declared a law postponing the country's presidential election to December "unconstitutional" and overturned his decree to postpone the vote, which was scheduled for Feb. 25.

President Sall would “immediately initiate the necessary consultations to organize the presidential election as soon as possible,” his office said in a statement.

The president said the Constitutional Council’s ruling is in line with the normal judicial mechanisms of democracy and the rule of law established through the constitution.

On Feb. 3, the president issued a decree suspending the Feb. 25 presidential election indefinitely, citing a disagreement over the candidate list and allegations of corruption among constitutional judges.

The National Assembly then passed a bill delaying the vote until Dec. 15, as security forces stormed the building and removed some opposition lawmakers.

Later, the country’s electoral authority in its announcement said it was impossible to hold the presidential election on Feb. 25, as originally scheduled.

It also asked the relevant authorities to take the necessary measures to ensure that the election was held as soon as possible.

The election delay in the West African nation sparked violent protests, in which three people were killed and dozens others arrested by law enforcement.

Protesters accused Sall of using "fallacious reasons to postpone the election," just hours before the campaign began.

Last month, the Constitutional Council approved 20 candidates for the presidential election, with electioneering set to begin on Feb. 4.