Senegalese President Macky Sall on Monday officially received a recommendation to hold deferred presidential elections on June 2, after deadly protests sparked by a last-minute cancellation of the vote.
The report followed a “national dialogue” that was boycotted by the opposition, which has demanded that the election be held before April 2, when Sall is supposed to step down.
The West African country was thrown into a political crisis on February 3 when Sall postponed the presidential election set for February 25.
His announcement, denounced as a “constitutional coup d’etat” by the opposition, sparked protests that resulted in four deaths.
On February 15, Senegal’s constitutional council overruled Sall, and ever since the country has been waiting for a new date.
Sall indicated that he would ask the constitutional council for its opinion on the June 2 vote request.
Senegal’s constitution makes no provision for a possible scenario in which Sall leaves office on April 2, with an election taking place only two months later.
Meanwhile, Amnesty International on Monday denounced a draft law on amnesty submitted to parliament by the Senegalese government relating to protests between March 2021 and February 2024, in which more than 60 people were killed.
“This draft law would be a denial of justice for victims, as well as their families, who are waiting for justice, truth and reparations,” Amnesty International’s regional director for West and Central Africa, Samira Daoud, said.
“By passing such a law, the Senegalese state would not only fail in its national and international obligations but also promote impunity for blood crimes,” she added.
“Although the amnesty law may effectively end legal proceedings against people arbitrarily detained in connection with the demonstrations, it fails to prosecute those suspected of criminal responsibility for the deadly crackdown on protesters.
This is not justice,” said Seydi Gassama, executive director of Amnesty International Senegal.