Most Senegalese presidential candidates unanimously request election deadline, opposition "demands people"

The majority of candidates approved to run in Senegal's presidential election have called for the election to be held before President Macky Sall's term ends.

Senegal: Hàng loạt ứng viên Tổng thống đồng lòng yêu cầu hạn chót bầu cử, phe đối lập 'đòi người'. AP

Senegalese protesters on the streets of the capital Dakar on February 17, calling on the government to hold early elections. (Source: AP)

AFP reported on February 19 that in a letter, 15 out of 20 candidates stated: "The election day and the handover of power between the President and his successor must be held no later than April 2."

In addition, the letter requests that the list of 20 candidates approved in January be kept unchanged.

The document was signed by several leading candidates, including jailed opposition candidate of the Senegalese Patriots (PASTEF) party Bassirou Diomaye Faye and former Dakar Mayor Khalifa Sall.

Earlier, President Macky Sall announced the postponement of the election, scheduled for February 25, just hours before the official campaign began. This move plunged Senegal into its worst political turmoil in decades.

Last week, the Constitutional Council annulled Mr Sall's decision and the leader accepted it, pledging to respect the ruling and "conduct the necessary consultations to hold presidential elections as soon as possible".

Meanwhile, on February 18, supporters of Senegalese presidential candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye demanded the immediate release of this politician.

“Every candidate must benefit from the constitutional principles of equal treatment. That is why the immediate release of candidate Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye is a popular demand and respects the constitution,” the coalition said in a statement.

PASTEF also demanded the urgent release of another party leader, Ousmane Sonko, who is currently in prison.

On February 15, a number of opposition figures in Senegal were released from prison by decree of President Macky Sall. However, two key leaders of PASTEF were not among those released.

According to AFP, Mr. Sonko has been detained since July 2023 for calling for rebellion, associating with terrorism-related crimes and harming national security. Meanwhile, Mr. Faye has been detained since April 2023 but has not yet appeared in court.

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