Riot police deployed tear gas to disperse crowds attempting to assemble outside Senegal’s national assembly on Monday in protest against the president’s sudden postponement of elections over the weekend. As demonstrators voiced slogans, parliament initiated discussions on a bill proposing to reschedule the 25 February vote to 25 August, extending President Macky Sall’s mandate until his successor is installed.
Sall’s unprecedented move has cast Senegal into constitutional uncertainty, challenging its reputation as a democratic stronghold in a region marked by coups. About 100 people gathered outside parliament, chanting “Macky Sall is a dictator,” leading to confrontations and arrests by the police.
The African Union, along with regional bodies and western governments, called for a prompt rescheduling of the election date. Critics view Sall’s decision as an “institutional coup,” while concerns mount about potential violent protests in the coming months. The postponement bill requires at least three-fifths support in the national assembly for approval, with potential implications for subsequent delays and presidential actions, according to analysts.
