ECOWAS Asks Senegal To Reverse The Presidential Election Delay That’s Caused An Uproar

On Saturday, February 3rd, 2024, Senegalese President Macky Sall announced the abrupt postponement of the country’s presidential election, originally set for February 25th, 2024, to December 15th, 2024, a move that has sparked significant controversy and raised concerns about democratic backsliding. President Sall cited irregularities in the candidate selection process as the main reason for the postponement, but the decision, made unilaterally before parliamentary approval and announced just weeks before the vote, was met with strong opposition. Protests erupted, met with force by security forces who fired tear gas and clashed with demonstrators. The unrest wasn’t limited to the capital, Dakar, as tensions spilt over into other cities, with reports of property damage and injuries. This unforeseen postponement, shrouded in controversy and allegations of unconstitutionality, has plunged Senegal into political turmoil and raised fears of further violence, jeopardizing its hard-earned democratic reputation. And now the West African bloc ECOWAS has waded into the controversy, asking Senegal to reverse the election delay that has caused an uproar. What did ECOWAS say exactly? And will the election delay be reversed? In today’s video, we will shed more light on these questions and many more. On Tuesday, February 6th, 2024, West Africa’s regional bloc ECOWAS released a statement imploring Senegalese authorities to hold the presidential election this month as scheduled instead of delaying it by 10 months till December. In the brief statement, ECOWAS said: “The Commission of the Economic Community of West African States follows with concern the unfolding situation in Senegal. It advises against any action or statement that may contravene the provisions of the country’s Constitution and reminds the population and the political class of their responsibility to maintain peace and stability in the country. The ECOWAS Commission encourages the political class to take steps urgently to restore the electoral calendar in accordance with the provisions of Senegal’s Constitution. In these trying times for the country and the region, the Commission calls on all stakeholders to shun violence and all other actions that may further disturb the peace and stability of the country. It urges the law enforcement agencies to exercise utmost restraint and protect the fundamental rights of all citizens. The ECOWAS Commission will continue to monitor the unfolding events and will take all necessary steps to support the government and people of Senegal in their efforts to sustain the country’s democratic tradition,” the statement concludes. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ✅SUPPORT US /AFFILIATE LINKS Use this affiliate link for your purchases at #MIZIZI International - Support our channel - PayPal: newafricachannel(at) Follow us on Instagram - Follow us on Twitter - Join us on Facebook - ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ✅COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER The New Africa Channel doesn’t fully own some of the materials compiled in its videos. It belongs to people or organizations who ought to be respected. If used, it falls under the following provisions: Copyright disclaimer section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976. “Fair use“ is allowed for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarships, and research. ✅ If you are the owner of the materials used in this video, contact us, and we will follow your request immediately: info(at) ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ✅COMMENTING POLICY Keep your comments and posts appropriate, helpful, and relevant. Any offensive, disrespectful, harmful, threatening, vulgar, obscene, or inappropriate content will be removed immediately. Spamming, vandalizing, promoting, and advertising are also not allowed. While we encourage free speech and open discussion, attacking or harassing other users is not tolerated. Repeat violators of this policy will be reported and may face a ban. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ #AfricaNews #TopAfricaNews #News #NewsAfrica #AfricaNews