Senegalese President, Macky Sall. Image: puchng.com
US worries about Senegal’s election postponement.
The next election in Senegal has been postponed due to recent acts by the government, which has alarmed the US Department of State.
The acts are in opposition to Senegal’s democratic norms, according to a statement released on Tuesday by Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the State Department.
“We are particularly concerned about reports that parliamentarians who opposed a bill to postpone the election were forcibly removed by security forces, leading to a vote in the National Assembly that cannot be justified under the circumstances.”
This was a reaction to Senegalese President Macky Sall‘s statement on Saturday that the planned presidential elections, which were supposed to take place on February 25, would be postponed.
The voting procedure was interrupted on Monday night when security personnel entered the chamber and took out a few opposition deputies, preventing them from casting their ballots.
Nevertheless, lawmakers approved the postponement. “The Government of Senegal is urged by the United States to proceed with the presidential election in compliance with the Constitution and electoral laws.
“We further urge the Senegalese government to guarantee the complete observance of the freedoms of peaceful assembly and speech, including for press personnel, and to promptly restore full access to the Internet.
The statement ended, “In the days ahead, the United States will remain engaged with all parties and regional partners.”
The Senegalese government responded to demonstrations against President Sall’s decision to postpone the election by momentarily suspending mobile internet connections.
Communication Minister Moussa Bocar Thiam defended the measures, citing the need to stop “hateful and subversive messages relayed on social networks in a context of disturbances to public order,” This is the first time that a Senegalese presidential election has been postponed, according to AFP.
Additionally, according to the news agency, mobile internet service was reinstated in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, on Wednesday, following a two-day temporary suspension by the authorities.