Protests erupted in Dakar, Senegal on Sunday in response to the postponement of the Feb. 25 presidential election, according to Reuters reporters. President Macky Sall announced the delay due to a dispute over the candidate list, a move denounced by some opposition and civil society groups as an “institutional coup”.
Groups of protesters blocked traffic at various points in Dakar with makeshift barricades of burning tires in reaction to the postponement. Police in riot gear used tear gas and detained protesters when faced with the resistance.
At least two opposition presidential candidates were arrested during the protests. Candidate Daouda Ndiaye said he was attacked by police, and the campaign manager of Anta Babacar Ngom reported being detained by security forces. Former prime minister Aminata Toure also announced that she had been detained and taken to a police station in Dakar.
In response to the postponement, Toure criticized President Macky Sall, stating that “President Macky’s exit slip is now marked with the seal of this unprecedented democratic regression.” The police did not respond to a request for comment.
Additional protests are planned outside parliament on Monday. This delaying of the presidential vote is unprecedented in Senegal, raising fears of further unrest after the deadly protests in recent years have led to concerns about the stability of the country’s democracy.
After Sall’s announcement, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) expressed concern and called for a new election date to be set quickly. The French foreign ministry also urged the authorities to remove the uncertainty surrounding the electoral timetable and to hold the elections as soon as possible in compliance with the rules of Senegalese democracy.
Additional reporting by Zohra Bensemra, Ngouda Dione in Dakar, Felix Onuah in Abuja, Michel Rose in ParisWriting by Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Giles Elgood
