Parliament adopts new bill to postpone Senegal election until December

Senegal’s parliament on Monday voted to delay the presidential election until 15 December, AP reports.

The decision to postpone the West African nation’s election scheduled for 25 February to December took place in a chaotic voting process after opposition lawmakers were forcefully removed from the chambers as they debated President Macky Sall’s earlier decision to postpone the election.

According to AP, security forces stormed the legislative building and forcefully removed several opposition lawmakers who were trying to block the voting process on the unprecedented delay of the presidential election.

The adopted bill also extends Mr Sall’s tenure which was due to end on 2 April until a new election.

AP also reported that mobile internet access was restricted amid growing protests by opposition supporters against the delay.

While lawmakers debated the bill, Senegalese gathered outside the legislative building protesting. Security officials tear-gassed and arrested many protesters.

Two opposition parties filed a court petition challenging the election postponement.

The development in Senegal is happening at a time when the West African region is faced with growing coups and threats to democracy.

Mr Sall — who in July said he would not seek a third term in office — had cited an electoral dispute between the parliament and the judiciary regarding the candidacies as the reason for the postponement but opposition leaders and candidates rejected the move, calling it a “coup.” 

The African Union and ECOWAS urged the government to organise the election “as soon as possible” and called on everyone involved “to resolve any political dispute through consultation, understanding and civilised dialogue.”

A private TV station, Walf television network, had its signal cut off as they were broadcasting the protests on Sunday and their broadcasting licence revoked.

The Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital Economy said mobile internet services were cut Monday “due to the dissemination of several hateful and subversive messages relayed on social networks in the context of threats and disturbances to public order.”

“The government’s abrupt shutdown of internet access via mobile data and Walf TV’s broadcasting … constitutes a blatant assault on the right to freedom of expression and press rights protected by Senegal’s constitution,” Amnesty International’s regional office for West and Central Africa said in a statement.