Politics

Senegal Presidential Election: US urges Senegalese President Sall to restore Senegal’s electoral calendar

The U.S. State Department raised serious concern about Senegal's current political situation.

WASHINGTON, Feb 13  – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday urged Senegalese President Macky Sall to restore Senegal’s electoral calendar and timeline for presidential transition, the U.S. State Department said after a call between the two leaders.
During  the call, Blinken raised “a major concerns” about Senegal’s current political situation following the move President Sall to postpone the presidential election.
The sudden postponement of the Feb. 25 vote to December has plunged the west African country into crisis and aggravated a backlash against what many see as an attempt by President Sall to extend his mandate which will be perceived as a serious threat to one of the remaining democracies in coup-hit West Africa.

This decision by President Macky Sall to push back the country’s February 25 election has plunged Senegal into a crisis which has seen three dead amid clashes between protesters and police. As part of the crack down against protests, the mobile internet coverage was also restricted, just as it had been on the day of the parliamentary vote.

Further more to the crackdown of dissemination on social networks of several subversive hate messages that have already provoked violent demonstrations, the mobile data is suspended this Tuesday 13 February, the Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital Energy said in a statement.

On this regard, The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) which has called on the government to restore the original election timetable, sent a delegation to Dakar to mediate in the crisis.

On Monday the ECOWAS chair, Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, is expected to visit President Sall in Dakar, to discuss the matter just days after an emergency session of foreign ministers within the bloc. But the visit has been delayed.

Also The chairman of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, has urged Senegal to resolve its “political dispute through consultation, understanding and dialogue”.

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button