Senegalese police intervene against opposition supporters protesting the postponement of the elections (Anatolia)

In an atmosphere of great confusion, the Senegalese parliament approved a draft law that postpones the presidential elections scheduled for February 25 to December 15, 2024.

The President of the National Assembly said that the law was approved after gendarmes forcefully removed opposition representatives who were obstructing the vote.

The law was approved - yesterday evening, Monday - unanimously by the 105 representatives present in the hall, and in the absence of opposition representatives.

The law approved by Parliament also stipulates that President Macky Sall will continue his duties until a successor is installed.

The discussions that began in the morning continued until the evening in a tense atmosphere, including an afternoon of fistfights between parliamentarians.

The text was proposed by the camp of Karim Wade, whose candidacy was invalidated by the Constitutional Council, and is supported by the camp of President Macky Sall, who announced on Saturday the postponement of the elections.

A preparatory committee indicated in a report on Sunday that the goal of the postponement was “to avoid instability in institutions and serious political unrest” and to achieve “the full resumption of the electoral process.”

Members of the committee recommended postponing the elections for more than 6 months, taking into account “the reality of the country,” especially the difficulties that might be caused by organizing election campaigns during the rainy season (July to November) or the possibility of them coinciding with religious holidays, according to the report.

Protests

Senegalese police dispersed demonstrations that broke out in the capital, Dakar, on Sunday, using tear gas and batons 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, 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.

Gendarmerie forces arrest demonstrators after President Sall announced the postponement of the presidential elections (Anatolia)

The opposition's movements coincided with a session in Parliament devoted to discussing the draft law that allows the President of the Republic to be extended 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.

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