Senegal’s general elections are set for December 15, 2024, following President Macky Sall’s declaration of the delay and the ensuing disagreement between the National Assembly and the Constitutional Council.
On February 5, the National Assembly passed a measure postponing the general elections.
The bill was nearly overwhelmingly approved by the deputies present, with 105 votes in favour and one opposed.
When the law passed, there was a violent altercation between two deputies. The military removed the other worried deputies before the vote.
Senegal has postponed its presidential election by universal direct voting for the first time since 1963.
Senegal has encountered political issues, including civil unrest in June last year over Ousmane Sonko’s detention, which resulted in deaths.
Sonko has openly expressed his opposition to President Macky Sall and is the founder of the political group Patriots of Senegal for Ethics, Work, and Fraternity (PASTEF), which promotes economic nationalism, anti-corruption measures, and social justice.
Senegal is currently one of five African nations to hold presidential elections in December, among Ghana, Algeria, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, and South Sudan.
