LIVE – Crisis in Senegal: the presidential election postponed to December 15, 2024

In a particularly tense context, the internet was cut off in the country on Monday. This means has become common to stop mobilizations and has already been used by the Senegalese government in June 2023, in a context of political crisis.

Many rights defense organizations, Senegalese and international, have condemned the internet restrictions as well as the suspension of the license of the private television station Walf TV. They called on the authorities to guard against excessive use of force, arbitrary arrests and attacks on freedoms. “Senegal has long been considered a model of democracy in the region. This reality is now under threat,” Human Rights Watch wrote.

Senegal has entered a political crisis since the announcement of the postponement of elections on Saturday February 3. Did the outgoing president Macky Sall interrupt the electoral process for his own benefit? Could the rejected opponent Karim Wade return to the game, thanks to this unexpected postponement? What about opponent Ousmane Sonko, ineligible but whose favorite could win?

Mobile Internet cut, tensions in the Parliament district where deputies are examining the postponement of elections… From Dakar, journalist Célia Cuordifede testifies for LCI.

Senegalese deputies have begun examining a critical text which would allow the presidential election to be postponed and which has caused new clashes outside the National Assembly transformed into a citadel by the police presence, AFP noted.

The gendarmes fired tear gas grenades to disperse small groups who tried to gather in front of the Assembly at the call of the opposition and who retreated further, chanting “Macky Sall dictator”. The Plateau district, seat of political decision-making, offered the extremely rare spectacle of protesters in small numbers playing cat and mouse with the security forces among the Dakar residents going about their activities around the Assembly placed under the protection of dozens of gendarmes and police officers supported by heavy vehicles.

On the LCI set, specialist Caoline Roussy takes stock of the current political crisis. She points out in particular that the postponement of the elections could be good news for certain electoral candidates.

Images of events over the past 48 hours in Dakar. ⬇️

Postponement of elections, demonstrations, repression and clashes. The thread of events since Macky Sall’s announcement.

Senegalese deputies began on Monday to debate a text on a postponement of the presidential election for several months, in a context of serious political crisis, noted an AFP journalist.

The parliamentarians began to examine a report adopted the day before in the preparatory committee and proposing to postpone by six months or even a year, to February 2025, the presidential election initially scheduled for February 25, depending on the content of this text distributed during the session.

Senegalese gendarmes used tear gas to disperse a gathering in front of the National Assembly in Dakar where the opposition called for demonstrations before the opening of debates on the postponement of the presidential election.

The security forces threw two tear gas grenades to remove a group of a few dozen people who refused to obey their injunction and who retreated further while chanting “Macky Sall dictator”, named after the Senegalese president.

Access to mobile internet data was cut this morning in Dakar against a backdrop of political crisis triggered by the announced postponement of the presidential election on February 25. Many users in Dakar have also complained of no longer having access to mobile data on their cell phones, according to AFP. The National Assembly must begin debating this Monday a constitutional bill to postpone the presidential election for six months.

Senegalese deputies examine on Monday in an explosive climate a controversial bill on the postponement of the presidential election announced by the head of state Macky Sall, the day after clashes between opponents and the police in Dakar.