Senegal: President Sall postpones the election indefinitely

• Says he wants to give time for the finalization of the ongoing parliamentary inquiry into corruption suspicions involving members of the Constitutional Council
• Pledges to initiate a national dialogue to ensure conditions for a free, transparent, and inclusive election
• Decision was somewhat expected with speculations of such scenario circulating in the past few weeks amid uncertainty of PM Ba's chances for a first-round win
• Prominent candidates from the opposition allege "constitutional coup", resolve not to take part in the dialogue and launch campaign against the delay

President Macky Sall addressed the nation on Saturday, 3 February, just hours before the scheduled start of the election campaign, to announce the indefinite postponement of the presidential election set for 25 February. The president declared the repeal of the decree issued on 26 November 2023, which had fixed the election date. He justified the decision by expressing his commitment to not interfere with an ongoing parliamentary inquiry into corruption suspicions involving members of the Constitutional Council. With no specified date for the rescheduled election, he further pledged to initiate a national dialogue to ensure conditions for a free, transparent, and inclusive election.

This decision marks an unprecedented situation for Senegal, which has consistently held elections since 1963. Yet, it does not come as a full surprise, given rumours dominating the public space for the past several weeks amid calls for a delay from some of the candidates rejected during the sponsorship verification stage, and more recently, by the camp of Karim Wade, who was excluded from the race in the last minute due to dual French-Senegalese citizenship. We recall speculations of a covert arrangement between the PDS and President Sall have circulated since the PDS chose to break ties with Sonko's YAW coalition and to form its own parliamentary group, hence it will be difficult for the president to convince the public opinion that the delay is not political maneuvering amid fears that his preferred candidate does not stand a chance for a first round win.

The announcement led to the immediate resignation of Abdou Latif Coulibaly, the Minister Secretary-General of the government, citing the need to defend his political opinions and convictions amid the unfolding events. The move has also stirred controversy, with various stakeholders, including legal experts, who claimed it was unconstitutional and expressed concerns about its implications. Opposition figures, including Khalifa Sall, have strongly criticized the decision, calling it a "constitutional coup" and a threat to democracy, and resolving not to take part in any dialogue and to launch campaign against the deferral. The regional organization ECOWAS has also voiced concern and urged authorities to facilitate procedures for setting a new election date, emphasizing the need for political dialogue.