Senegal Protests: Election Delay Sparks Unrest

Thousands joined the first authorized protest in Senegal's capital since President Macky Sall postponed elections for his successor before a top court overturned his ruling.

Sall's last-minute move to delay the February 25 poll triggered traditionally stable Senegal's worst crisis in decades.

The Constitutional Council intervened and the president, under growing pressure at home and abroad, vowed to organize the elections "as soon as possible", without any date being set.

On the streets of Dakar, demonstrators donned black T-shirts emblazoned with "Aar Sunu Election" (Protect our Election), the name of the civil society collective that organized the peaceful protest.

They held up placards reading "Free Senegal", "Respect the election date" and "No to a constitutional coup d'Etat".

Gendarmes were out in force around the march area, but they did not wear riot gear as they had during previous demonstrations.

Tensions have eased since the council demanded the vote take place "as soon as possible" and the authorities gave the go-ahead for the march.

"The State of Senegal has no room for error any longer and must organize the election in March so that the handover of power between president Sall and the new president can take place on April 2," the end of the official mandate for Sall, who has been in power since 2012 and decided not to run again.

At the end of the march, the Aar Sunu Election collective issued a communique calling on its members to "continue the mobilization, to remain alert, and to monitor the republican process."

Previous attempts to stage protests against the postponement of the ballot, which parliament had decided to stage on December 15, were all banned and ended in violence with large numbers of arrests. Three people were killed on February 9.