President Macky Sall of Senegal has announced the indefinite postponement of the presidential election, originally scheduled for February 25.
News About Nigeria gathered that the decision was made just hours before the commencement of official campaigning.
In a nationwide address, President Sall announced the decision.
He cited an ongoing inquiry into the qualifications of two Constitutional Council judges whose participation in the electoral process had come under question.
Sall explained that he signed a decree cancelling the earlier directive that had set the election date.
He stated, “I will begin an open national dialogue to bring together the conditions for a free, transparent, and inclusive election,” without specifying a new date for the postponed election.
This marks the first time in Senegal’s history that a presidential election has been delayed.
The decision comes amid a dispute between the National Assembly and the Constitutional Court over the exclusion of certain candidates.
A decree signed by President Sall in November 2023 had initially set the election for February 25, featuring 20 candidates.
However, the exclusion of two prominent opposition figures and the rejection of multiple candidates raised tension.
President Sall, who had previously said that he would not run for a third term, had appointed Prime Minister Amadou Ba from his party as his potential successor.
The Constitutional Council’s decision to exclude key candidates, including Ousmane Sonko and Karim Wade, led to growing dissatisfaction.
The National Assembly passed a motion on January 31 that was supported by certain members of Sall’s party and called for a legislative investigation into the partiality of two judges on the Constitutional Court.
Rose Wardini, one of the two approved female candidates, was detained on Friday on charges of allegedly concealing her French citizenship, according to judicial sources.
