Senegal’s President Macky Sall has told his government to enact an amnesty law as soon as it is officially published, amid hope a jailed main opposition candidate could be released ahead of the presidential poll in 10 days’ time.
In a bid to end weeks of crisis after he postponed the February 25 presidential vote, Sall proposed a bill granting amnesty for acts committed in connection with political demonstrations since 2021.
The law, adopted by MPs last week, is expected to be published imminently but there is no official information on when this might be.
Imprisoned anti-establishment candidate, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, and his coalition’s detained firebrand leader, Ousmane Sonko, could be the main potential beneficiaries.
Unconfirmed rumours about their release have swirled, but it’s unclear whether they would fall within the scope of the law.
Such a move will dramatically alter the presidential campaign, with Sonko’s powerful rhetoric striking a chord with young voters.
Faye, who is one of the main contenders for the presidency, has been unable to address voters in person since campaigning kicked off on March 9.
Sall asked his government “to proceed without delay with the application of the amnesty law as soon as it is promulgated,” according to a cabinet statement published late Wednesday.
Sonko was at the heart of a bitter two-year stand-off with the state and has been in prison since July.
The legal case against him, along with economic and social tensions, led to deadly unrest between 2021 and 2023.
The opposition figurehead came third in the 2019 presidential election but was disqualified from running in 2024.
Sonko then endorsed Faye, who has also been in prison since April 2023, to replace him on the ballot.
The “Diomaye President” coalition on Thursday organised a rally through the northern outskirts of the capital Dakar on the sixth day of the campaign trail.