The highest court in Senegal has ruled that the decision to delay the presidential election this month goes against the country’s constitution.
The Constitutional Council has invalidated both President Macky Sall’s decree and a controversial bill passed by parliament that rescheduled the vote for December.
The decision has sparked widespread protests in Senegal, which was previously seen as a stable country in the West African region.
The judgment was welcomed as “a great day for democracy” by a prominent opposition politician.
“We’ve been so ashamed by all of this violation of the law and the constitution,” Aminata Touré, a former prime minister and current opposition member, told BBC Newsday.
Anta Babacar, the sole female contender, agreed.
“We are actually very, very proud of our Constitutional Council and it shows that there is at least a little bit of democracy and justice that’s left in our country,” she said.
On 3 February, Mr. Sall announced that he would delay the election, which was initially planned for 25 February, due to concerns regarding the eligibility of opposition candidates.
After a heated debate, during which some opposition MPs were removed from the chamber by the police, 105 out of 165 MPs supported his proposal. Initially, a six-month postponement was suggested, but a last-minute amendment extended it to 10 months, resulting in a new election date of 15 December.
Despite Mr. Sall’s reassurances that he had no intention of seeking re-election, his critics accused him of either attempting to hold onto power or unfairly influencing his successor.
