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Reactions abroad to Russia’s presidential election

Reactions abroad to Russia’s presidential election

FOLLOWING are reactions from foreign governments and officials to Russia's presidential election, which handed Vladimir Putin a landslide win and another six-year term in office, according to first official results. WHITE HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL SPOKESPERSON "The elections are obviously not free nor fair given how Mr. Putin has imprisoned political opponents and prevented others from running against him." UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKIY "These days, the Russian dictator is simulating another election. It is clear to everyone in the world that this figure, as it has already often happened in the course of history, is simply sick for power and is doing everything to…
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Senegal schedules presidential election for March 24

Senegal schedules presidential election for March 24

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…
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Who are the main candidates in Senegal’s presidential election?

Who are the main candidates in Senegal’s presidential election?

SENEGAL heads to the polls on March 24 to choose a successor to President Macky Sall who is not seeking a third term. For the first time in the West African nation's history, the incumbent is not on the ballot. His hand-picked successor, Prime Minister Amadou Ba, who was relieved of his duties on Wednesday ahead of the campaigning, is among 19 candidates cleared by Senegal's constitutional council to run. To avoid a runoff, a candidate must secure over 50% of the vote. Campaigning is likely to start in the coming days. Following are the profiles of the main contenders: PRIME MINISTER…
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Senegal panel suggests delayed polls be held in June to end crisis

Senegal panel suggests delayed polls be held in June to end crisis

SENEGAL'S National Dialogue Commission will propose a delayed presidential election be held on June 2 and recommend President Macky Sall remain in office until his successor is sworn in, commission member Ndiawar Paye said on Tuesday. The West African nation, set to become an oil and gas producer by the end of the year, has been thrown into an unprecedented political crisis after Sall postponed the election initially scheduled for February 25. The date proposal follows two days of dialogue organised by Sall as a way to ease tensions. His and parliament's failed bid to postpone the February 25 poll by 10…
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Senegal cuts internet again amid widening crackdown on dissent

Senegal cuts internet again amid widening crackdown on dissent

SENEGAL cut mobile internet access ahead of a banned march against the postponement of a presidential election, and rights groups accused the authorities of using overly repressive tactics to stifle widespread opposition to the delay. The abrupt postponement of the February 25 vote to December has plunged Senegal into crisis and intensified a backlash against what many see as an attempt to extend President Macky Sall's mandate and a threat to one of the remaining democracies in coup-hit West Africa. After deadly clashes between protesters and police late last week, the government refused to permit a silent march planned by activist groups…
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Senegal battles first major wave of unrest over vote delay

Senegal battles first major wave of unrest over vote delay

CLASHES between security forces and protesters gripped Senegal's capital and other cities, the first widespread unrest over the delay of a presidential election that many fear could lead to protracted instability. Less than three weeks before the February 25 vote, parliament voted to push it back to December, sealing an extension of President Macky Sall's mandate that has raised concerns that one of the remaining democracies in coup-hit West Africa is under threat. In the capital Dakar, police in riot gear fired tear gas, stun grenades and what appeared to be rubber bullets at large crowds of protesters who were burning tyres…
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What is happening in Senegal and could tensions escalate?

What is happening in Senegal and could tensions escalate?

SENEGAL'S parliament voted to postpone a presidential election from February 25 to December 15, extending President Macky Sall's mandate in an unprecedented break with the West African country's democratic tradition. Amid widespread public outcry to the postponement, some opposition lawmakers tried to block proceedings in the National Assembly building until security forces intervened and forced them off the central dais, allowing the vote to proceed. The contested bill was eventually passed by 105 members of parliament (MPs) in the 165-seat Assembly. WHY DID PRESIDENT SALL CALL FOR A POSTPONEMENT? Sall, who is not standing for re-election and has reached the constitutional limit…
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Senegal opposition candidates file legal challenges to election postponement

Senegal opposition candidates file legal challenges to election postponement

THREE opposition candidates in Senegal's presidential election filed legal challenges to the president's abrupt postponement of the election, as riot police fired tear gas to break up a protest outside parliament. While protesters shouted slogans on the streets, lawmakers inside the National Assembly building debated into the evening a bill that would reschedule the February 25 vote to August 25 and extend President Macky Sall's mandate until his successor is installed. Sall's unprecedented announcement on Saturday pitched the West African nation into uncharted constitutional waters that threaten to tarnish its reputation as a bastion of democratic stability in a region swept by…
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Senegalese President Sall postpones presidential vote

Senegalese President Sall postpones presidential vote

PRESIDENT Macky Sall postponed Senegal's planned February 25 presidential election, announcing in a televised address to the nation on Saturday that he had cancelled the relevant law due to electoral issues he warned would fuel disputes. With little more than three weeks to go before the vote, the unprecedented step of delaying the poll, to an unspecified date, pitches Senegal into uncharted constitutional waters that some opposition and civil society groups said amounted to an "institutional coup." One opposition coalition has already vowed to challenge the move in the courts, raising the prospect of a protracted legal battle that could…
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Main candidates in Senegal’s presidential election

Main candidates in Senegal’s presidential election

SENEGAL heads to the polls on February 25 to choose a successor to President Macky Sall who is not seeking a third term. For the first time in the West African nation's history, the incumbent is not on the ballot. His handpicked successor, Prime Minister Amadou Ba, is among 20 candidates cleared by Senegal's constitutional council to run. To avoid a runoff, a candidate must secure over 50% of the vote. Campaigning starts on February 4. Following are profiles of the main contenders: PRIME MINISTER AMADOU BA A former economy and foreign minister, Ba, 62, was named prime minister in September 2022. He ran…
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