Senegal President To Go On Live TV After Weeks Of Turmoil

Senegal's outgoing President Macky Sall was to appear live on national television on Thursday and could reveal his plans for elections after their unprecedented delay triggered weeks of crisis

Dakar, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Feb, 2024) Senegal's outgoing President Macky Sall was to appear live on national television on Thursday and could reveal his plans for elections after their unprecedented delay triggered weeks of crisis.

Sall faces a growing clamour to set a date for the vote after he abruptly called off the February 25 presidential election with just three weeks to go.

Under pressure at home and abroad to call the ballot as soon as possible, he will take part in a televised interview with three media organisations at 7:00 pm (1900 GMT), the presidency said.

"The only thing the Senegalese expect from President Macky Sall speaking today is for him to unequivocally announce the date of the presidential election," ex-prime minister Aminata Toure said on X, formerly Twitter.

Sall announced the delay hours before official campaigning was due to begin, with parliament backing the move despite strong opposition and setting a new election date for mid-December.

The opposition denounced Sall's move as a "constitutional coup", saying his party feared defeat at the ballot box.

The delay plunged the traditionally stable West African country into its worst political crisis in decades and sparked unrest that has left four people dead.

Adding to the uncertainty, the top constitutional body last week overturned the delay and called for the vote to be organised "as soon as possible".

Sall, whose second term runs out on April 2, responded that he would "without delay carry out the consultations necessary" to do so.

No information has officially been released since then about any discussions.

But the president called during Wednesday's cabinet meeting for "all the arrangements" to be made "for the presidential election to be organised well on a date which will be set very soon", according to the presidency.

It added that this would be "after consultations with politicians, civil society officials and representatives of key actors".