Senegal parliament postpones presidential election to December 15

Senegal’s parliament on Monday voted in support of the postponement of the February 25 presidential election to December 15.

Macky Sall, president of Senegal, had earlier postponed the election “indefinitely” over issues arising from the “candidates list”.

The candidates list was validated and published by members of the constitutional council which has two members currently facing “corruption” charges.

Despite stern disapproval for the postponement from the opposition party, 105 lawmakers voted in support of the election delay, while only one was against the move.

During the voting process, several members of the opposition were initially removed from the chamber, purportedly in a bid to allow the vote sail through.

Sall’s term officially ends on April 2, but following the lawmakers’ vote on Monday, the president’s tenure has now been extended until after the election.

In the past week, Senegal has experienced political chaos after Sall announced an indefinite postponement of the election.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) had urged the government to “expedite the various processes in order to set a new date for the elections”.

“The commission further urges the entire political class to prioritize dialogue and collaboration for transparent, inclusive and credible elections,” the statement from ECOWAS reads.

The Senegal government had turned off the internet in the West African nation on Monday, as part of a plan to quell protests and growing civil dissent.