SENEGAL UNREST AMID ‘CONSTITUTIONAL COUP’ CLAIMS

10 months ago
21

The Senegalese capital has been rocked by unrest again after President Macky Sall postponed the presidential election indefinitely. The opposition say it amounts to a ‘constitutional coup.’

Sall had ruled himself out of the race - which was meant to take place February 25th - after mass demonstrations over the prospect of him seeking a controversial third term. He’s now put his support behind his prime minister, Amadou Ba.

Unrest has also been triggered by what is seen as Sall’s suppression of rival candidates - in particular, the popular Ousmane Sonko, whose anti-imperialist and anti-French stance has captured the public imagination. Sonko is also admired as a whistleblower who exposed tax-evasion via off-shore accounts among the elite. But he’s been barred from running after being found guilty of “corrupting youth” - a trumped-up charge, according to his supporters.

Thérèse Faye Sall, the Minister of Community Development, is proposing a six-month postponement of the election. Do you think Macky Sall will let go of power? Share your predictions in the comments.

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