constitutional council - The African Mirror

Mar

31

2024

Senegal top court confirms Faye’s election victory

NEWS

SENEGAL'S Constitutional Council confirmed the presidential election victory of opposition candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye, paving the way for his inauguration as the country's fifth president. The top court validated provisional results announced on Wednesday based on vote tallies from 100% of polling stations. Faye won more than 54% of votes in last Sunday's delayed presidential poll, with ruling coalition candidate Amadou Ba taking over 35%. He is expected to be sworn in to replace outgoing President Macky Sall on April 2.

Mar

20

2024

By The African Mirror

2024 Senegal election crisis points to deeper issues with Macky Sall and his preferred successor

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

THE botched attempt by Senegalese president Macky Sall to postpone the presidential election has stirred unnecessary tension in an already strained electoral process. The move reflected deeper governance problems in the country. Sall’s decree, subsequently annulled by the Constitutional Council, was the latest in a range of government interventions that exceeded the scope of the executive authority. These have included the disqualification of key opposition candidates, the manipulation of judicial procedures, and the arbitrary detention of dissenting figures. Sall’s 12-year tenure has been marked by contradictions. His administration boosted investment in transport and urban infrastructure. Notably, he worked on the…

Mar

10

2024

By The African Mirror

Senegal kicks off short election campaign after poll delays

NEWS

SENEGALESE presidential candidates launched their shortened campaigns, two days after a court confirmed the election would be held on March 24, ending weeks of uncertainty and kick-starting a competition that remains wide open. Tensions have gripped the country since early February, when a bid by President Macky Sall to postpone by 10 months a vote that had been due to take place on February 25 provoked widespread protests and warnings by critics of democratic backsliding. Senegal, a country of 18 million, is normally one of West Africa's most stable democracies. The worst of the crisis appears to be over after the Constitutional Council…

Mar

08

2024

By DIADIE BA and BATE FELIX

Senegal schedules presidential election for March 24

NEWS

SENEGALESE President Macky Sall has scheduled a delayed presidential election for March 24, the government said after a top court ruled that a proposal to hold the vote after his mandate expires on April 2 was unconstitutional. The announcement caps a dramatic evening that saw Sall dissolve the government and replace Prime Minister Amadou Ba with Interior Minister Sidiki Kaba so that Ba, the ruling coalition's presidential candidate, can focus on his electoral campaign, the presidency said. Earlier the Constitutional Council ruled that a proposal from a national dialogue commission for the vote to be held on June 2 was…

Feb

18

2024

By PORTIA CROWE and NGOUDA DIONE

Senegal’s Sall promises to hold delayed presidential vote as soon as possible

NEWS

SENEGALESE President Macky Sall said that he would fully abide by a court decision that overturned the postponement of the presidential election to December, pledging to hold consultations to organise the vote as soon as possible. A bill that pushed back the February 25 poll and plunged the country into electoral uncertainty was overturned on Thursday by Senegal's Constitutional Council. Sall "has taken note" of the council's decision and request for the election to be held as soon as possible, the presidency said in a statement on Friday. "The president intends to fully execute the constitutional council's decision," it added. Sall has…

Feb

18

2024

By The African Mirror

Explainer: What is happening in Senegal and could tensions escalate?

NEWS

SENEGALESE President Macky Sall has promised to schedule a presidential election as soon as possible, accepting a court judgement that the postponement of the February 25 poll to December was unconstitutional. The opposition and foreign powers had urged the authorities to comply with the constitutional council's ruling. The move to do so is likely to ease tensions and allay fears of authoritarian overreach in one of coup-hit West Africa's more stable democracies. WHY DID PRESIDENT MACKY SALL CALL FOR A POSTPONEMENT? Sall, 62, who is not standing for re-election and has reached the constitutional limit of two terms in power, said he…