The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has expressed dismay at Senegal’s recent move to reschedule the country’s planned February 25, 2024, presidential elections.
The president of Senegal, Macky Sall, declared on Saturday in a televised message to the nation that the presidential elections would be postponed indefinitely. A disagreement over the electoral roll and candidate list was cited as the reason for the decision.
The President made this decision after the names of some opposition candidates were removed from the candidate list in January by the Constitutional Council.
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The President, who hopes for free and fair elections, cancelled the originally planned date when the Constitutional Council’s action raised questions about the legitimacy of the voting process.
“I will initiate an open national dialogue to bring together the conditions for a free, transparent, and inclusive election in a peaceful and reconciled Senegal,” President Sall said
The Economic Community of West African States Commission voiced dismay at the causes causing the election postponement in a statement made on February 3, 2024, in Abuja, Nigeria.
In order to achieve transparent, inclusive, and credible elections, the ECOWAS Commission urged Senegal’s authorities to quickly set a new date for polls and urged all members of the political class to prioritise communication and cooperation.
President Macky Sall received praise from the ECOWAS Commission for sticking to his original decision to not run for reelection.
“The Commission of the Economic Community of West African States takes note of the decision that the Senegalese authorities have taken to postpone the presidential elections scheduled to take place on 25 February 2024. The ECOWAS Commission expresses concern over the circumstances that have led to the postponement of the elections and appeals to the competent authorities to expedite the various processes to set a new date for the elections
