LIVE – Crisis in Senegal: Presidential election postponed until December 15, 2024

In a particularly tense context, the internet was shut down in the country on Monday. This has become commonplace to prevent mobility and has already been used by the Senegalese government in June 2023 in the context of a political crisis.

Many human rights organizations, both Senegalese and international, have condemned the internet restrictions as well as the license suspension of private television station Wolf TV. They called on the authorities to guard against excessive use of force, arbitrary arrests and attacks on freedoms. “Senegal has long been considered a model of democracy in the region. This reality is now under threat,” Human Rights Watch wrote.

Senegal has been plunged into political crisis since the announcement of the postponement of elections on Saturday 3 February. Did outgoing President Mackey Saul disrupt the electoral process for his own benefit? Could this unexpected postponement allow Kareem Wade to return to the game? What about rival Osmane Sonko, ineligible but whose favorite could win?

Mobile internet cut, tension in parliamentary district where deputies are investigating postponing elections… From Dakar, journalist Celia Coordifed testifies for LCI.

Senegal’s deputies have begun examining a complex text that would allow the postponement of presidential elections and which has led to new clashes outside the National Assembly turned into a fortress by the presence of police, reported AFP.

Gendarmes fired tear gas grenades to disperse small groups who tried to gather in front of the assembly at the opposition’s call and who retreated further, chanting “Mackie Sall dictator”. Plateau district, the seat of political decision-making, offers a rare sight of small-scale protests among residents of Dakar, less than a cat-and-mouse game with security forces, who conduct their activities around the assembly under the protection of dozens of castes and police. Support officers by heavy vehicles.

On the LCI set, expert Kaolin Rousey takes stock of the current political crisis. She specifically points out that postponing elections can be good news for certain election candidates.

Images of the events of the last 48 hours in Dakar. ⬇️

Postpone elections, demonstrations, repression and clashes. A thread of events following the announcement of the Mackie sale.

Senegalese deputies began debating on Monday a text to postpone the presidential election for several months in the context of a serious political crisis, an AFP reporter noted.

Parliamentarians began examining the report adopted in the preparatory committee the day before and proposed a six-month or even a year postponement until February 2025, the presidential election initially scheduled for February 25, based on the contents of the text distributed during that time. session

Senegalese gendarmes used tear gas to disperse a gathering in front of the National Assembly in Dakar where the opposition called for demonstrations ahead of a debate on postponing presidential elections.

Security forces threw two tear gas grenades to disperse a group of a few dozen people who refused to obey their orders and who retreated further, chanting “Macky Sall dictator” after the Senegalese president.

Access to mobile internet data was cut in Dakar this morning against the backdrop of a political crisis caused by the postponement of the announcement of the presidential election on February 25. Many users in Dakar also complained of not having access to mobile data on their cell phones, according to AFP. The National Assembly must start debating a constitutional bill to postpone the presidential election for six months from this Monday.

Senegalese deputies scrutinize a controversial bill on postponing presidential elections announced by head of state Macky Cell in an explosive atmosphere on Monday, a day of clashes between protesters and police in Dakar.