Africans Rising, a Pan-African movement, has strongly criticized Senegalese President Macky Sall's decision to postpone the country's upcoming presidential election, cautioning that it could exacerbate the fragile political atmosphere in the sub-region. President Sall announced the cancellation of the February 25th election citing electoral issues, which has raised concerns about his attempt to extend his stay in power beyond his constitutional limit.
The movement emphasized that Sall's action undermines democratic principles and threatens peace and stability in Senegal and the wider West African sub-region. The decision to delay the election to an unspecified date has created uncertainty and raised doubts about the credibility of the electoral process.
Africans Rising called on President Sall to respect the constitution and democratic aspirations of the Senegalese people and urged him to rescind the order to postpone the election immediately. The movement also urged the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to condemn the postponement and take decisive action to uphold democratic norms in the region.
The statement highlighted concerns about the exclusion of prominent contenders from the electoral list by the Constitutional Council, which has led to discontent and raised questions about the fairness of the electoral process. Africans Rising emphasized the importance of ensuring free, transparent, and inclusive elections in Senegal to avoid further instability and political unrest.