Senegal to hold delayed presidential election on March 24

Senegal has announced a rescheduled presidential election set for March 24, following a ruling by the top court deeming a proposal to hold the vote after April 2 as unconstitutional. President Macky Sall’s mandate concludes on April 2.

Originally slated for February 25, the election was postponed by President Sall, citing electoral disputes, which triggered opposition accusations of an attempted coup. His subsequent proposal to hold the election in December led to deadly protests, tarnishing Senegal’s reputation as West Africa’s most stable democracy.

A proposal from a national dialogue commission to hold the vote on June 2 was rejected by the Constitutional court. Concurrently, on Wednesday, President Sall dissolved the government and appointed a new Prime Minister, Amadou Ba, who is also the ruling coalition’s presidential candidate.

Parliament passed an amnesty law on Wednesday, potentially leading to the release of some opposition leaders and supporters detained on charges of unlawful assembly. However, the timing of the election suggests that there is limited opportunity for jailed opposition leader Ousmane Sonko to participate in the electoral process.