Senegal’s parliament has voted to delay the presidential election to December 15 in a chaotic vote that followed the forcible removal of opposition lawmakers from the chamber during a debate over President Macky Sall’s decision to postpone the crucial election.
Sall announced on Saturday that the election, originally scheduled for February 25, would be postponed, plunging the West African nation into uncharted constitutional waters and sparking violent protests.
The parliamentary backing came late on Monday, with 105 MPs in the 165-seat assembly voting in favor of the measure, which delays the election until December and keeps Sall in office until his successor is installed.
The bill initially set an election date on August 25, and the decision to further postpone the poll is likely to escalate unrest. The president, who has served the maximum two terms, was originally due to leave office on April 2.
While Sall has previously stated that he has no plans to extend his term, protesters remain skeptical.
During Monday’s debate on the bill, security forces fired tear gas at protesters who had gathered outside the parliament in Dakar, burning tires and criticizing Sall.
Demonstrator Malick Diouf, 37, said he had no preferred candidate and did not even have a voting card, but felt it was crucial to come out and protest.
“The main thing for me is to say ‘no’ to this political agenda, this coup de force to try to stay in power,” he told the AFP news agency.
