Constitutional crisis looms in Senegal after President Macky Sall delays vote

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Senegalese lawmakers are debating a bill to extend the tenure of President Macky Sall and delay elections for six months as anger grows over his decision to indefinitely postpone a vote in the west African country.

Riot police used tear gas to disperse protesters who had gathered outside the parliamentary building in Dakar on Monday. MPs are discussing an opposition lawmaker’s proposal to keep Sall in power until a vote is held in August, according to a draft of the proposal seen by the Financial Times, with one MP from the ruling coalition proposing a one-year extension.

Sall announced on Saturday that this month’s poll would be postponed because of concerns over how the candidates were approved by the Constitutional Council.

Opposition leaders and civil society groups have condemned the delay, describing it as a “constitutional coup” that jeopardises democracy in a country normally known for its stable politics and peaceful transitions of power. The African Union also urged Dakar to hold presidential elections as soon as possible.

“This is a big blow,” said Mohamed Ndiaye, a businessman in Thiaroye, a town outside Dakar. “Sall needs to know the Senegalese people have left him behind. This is a worrying situation and we don’t know what’s ahead for this country.”

MPs will discuss an opposition lawmaker’s proposal to keep Sall in power until a vote is held in August, according to a draft of the proposal seen by the Financial Times. The debate comes as the African Union urged Dakar to hold presidential elections as soon as possible.

The Constitutional Council had barred prominent candidates from running, including opposition firebrand Ousmane Sonko, a former tax inspector, and Karim Wade, son of Sall’s predecessor and a former minister who now lives in exile in Qatar.

Business leader Anta Babacar Ngom, an opposition presidential candidate, was detained by police while Daouda Ndiaye, another candidate, said he was attacked by police during the unrest over the weekend. Aminata Toure, a former prime minister who served under Sall and has condemned the postponement, also said she was detained by police.

Sall said he was postponing the vote to allow a thorough inquiry into how the Constitutional Council vetted candidates for the election. A report by the national assembly (parliament) last week claimed two judges on the council had been corrupted, a charge denied by the body.

Sonko has been imprisoned since July on alleged charges of inciting an insurrection. He was disqualified because of a separate defamation conviction that he and his opponents allege is part of Sall’s weaponisation of the judicial system to sideline his opponents.

Mobile internet services were down on Monday morning, a sign that the government was restricting access to social media sites. Connections were cut last year as authorities tried to crack down on a surge in support for Sonko.

Representatives from his former party, Pastef, which was disbanded by authorities last year, have formed a new coalition and named Bassirou Diomaye Faye as its candidate. Faye is also imprisoned on similar charges of insurrection.

Wade was disqualified under laws barring people with dual nationality from running for the presidency. The former minister said he renounced his French citizenship last year. His PDS party, which has called for an investigation into the partiality of the judges on the Constitutional Council, is also pushing for a six-month delay of the vote.

Senegal has never delayed a presidential election before and Sall, who flirted with running for a constitutionally dubious third term until dropping his bid last year, had been expected to hand over to his successor in April after the February 25 vote.

“He will be an illegitimate president by April 2,” said Ndiaye, the businessman.

The president has been accused by opponents and human rights groups of clamping down on free speech and democratic freedoms in Senegal. Over the weekend, he reiterated his commitment to not contesting the vote. Amadou Ba, Sall’s prime minister, is the ruling coalition’s candidate.