The African Union on Friday joined the United States and European Union in welcoming Senegal’s decision to hold a presidential election on March 24 after weeks of turmoil triggered by the vote’s delay.
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President Macky Sall plunged Senegal into crisis with a last-minute postponement of the presidential poll, originally scheduled for February 25.
After a month of uncertainty which sparked outcry at home and abroad, the country’s top constitutional body on Thursday agreed with the presidency for the vote to take place on March 24, before the end of Sall’s mandate.
African Union Commission chairman, Moussa Faki Mahamat, saluted “the peaceful resolution of the institutional crisis in Senegal”.
He said the decision to hold an election before Sall leaves office on April 2 “reflects the deep-rootedness and resilience of democracy in Senegal, of which Africa has always been proud”.
The statement said the African Union would deploy an observation mission.
The decision demonstrated the “great resilience” of democracy and the rule of law in Senegal, European Commission spokeswoman Nabila Massrali said Thursday.
The EU called for a “peaceful electoral campaign and… the holding of credible and transparent elections”.
The United States reacted on a message on X, formerly Twitter, posted by the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs on Thursday.
The United States notes Senegal’s decision to begin its delayed presidential election in March. We stand with the Senegalese people and their unwavering support for democracy and free and fair elections.
— Bureau of African Affairs (@AsstSecStateAF) March 7, 2024
“We stand with the Senegalese people and their unwavering support for democracy and free and fair elections,” the post said.
France praised the role of the Constitutional Council and Sall in calling the March 24 election, saying it “testifies the strength of democratic institutions,” according to a foreign ministry spokeswoman.
The German foreign ministry said that the conditions for a free and democratic election had finally been created.
The traditionally stable West African nation is embarking on potentially its most open presidential vote, with 19 candidates in the first round. The date of the second round has not been announced.
The campaign begins on Saturday and ends on Friday March 22, running through the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
(AFP)
