Protesters against the postponement of the presidential elections block one of the main roads in the capital, Dakar, with burning tires (Anatolia)
Senegalese police in the capital, Dakar, used tear gas and batons to disperse the demonstrations that broke out - yesterday, Sunday - after President Macky Sall's decision on Saturday to postpone the presidential elections.
The opposition in Senegal - on Saturday - sharply criticized Sall's decision, which it justified by "the existence of differences between the National Assembly (Parliament) and the Constitutional Council" and called for a demonstration in Dakar yesterday, to which hundreds of citizens responded.
Supporters of the opposition coalition - which includes several candidates - demanded that the propaganda campaigns continue and not postpone the presidential elections that were scheduled for February 25.
The opposition's movements coincided with a session in Parliament devoted to discussing a draft law presented by the ruling coalition allowing the extension of the President of the Republic for a full year, which the opposition rejects.
The draft law stated that lawmakers will discuss today a proposal to hold elections on August 25, and to keep Sall in the presidency until the inauguration of his successor.
Several opposition candidates announced yesterday that they would ignore the president's decision and continue launching their election campaign.
Senegal has never postponed presidential elections, and the uncertainty threatens to spark more unrest similar to the bloody protests of past years.
In several areas of the capital, security forces confronted the demonstrations that broke out on Sunday by firing tear gas bombs, and opposition politician and former Prime Minister Aminata Toure was arrested, along with other candidates for the presidential elections.
Yesterday afternoon, men and women of all ages blocked traffic at several points along a main road in the capital with burning tires, at the invitation of several candidates.
In one area, about 200 protesters withdrew to side streets after riot police fired tear gas canisters at them and began arresting them.
Some demonstrations in Dakar also witnessed demonstrators burning French flags.
Gendarmerie forces arrest demonstrators after President Sall announced the postponement of the presidential elections (Anatolia)
International concern
The Senegalese president's announcement to postpone the presidential elections also raised concern abroad, as the European Union confirmed on Sunday that postponing the elections would lead to a "period of uncertainty" in the country, calling for the elections to be held "as soon as possible."
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) also expressed its concern about the circumstances that led to the postponement of the elections, and called for a new date to be set quickly.
Yesterday, the French Foreign Ministry urged the authorities to "remove the ambiguity surrounding the election timetable so that they can be held as soon as possible and in accordance with the rules of Senegalese democracy."
Source: Al Jazeera + agencies