My latest for RFI:
Senegalese lawmakers postpone presidential election to 15 December
Senegal's parliament voted to hold a postponed presidential election on 15 December in the face of a public outcry over the decision by President Macky Sall to postpone the elections due later this month.
The decision threatens to tarnish Senegal's reputation as a bastion of democratic stability in a region swept by coups.
Riot police fired tear gas to disperse protests outside parliament as lawmakers discussed the bill that initially proposed rescheduling the 25 February vote to 25 August. This would keep Sall in power until his successor is elected.
However, just before the final vote, the bill was amended to propose a later election date of 15 Dec., an amendment that was passed by 105 MPs in the 165-seat Assembly.
'Institutional coup'
The last-minute amendment to postpone the election to December rather than August is likely to provoke further opposition backlash.
Analysts fear a repeat of violent protests that have broken out over the past three years partly over Sall's alleged authoritarian overreach.
After hours of procedural discussions, lawmakers had been due to start the debate and vote on the bill, when around a dozen opposition members rushed the central dais and refused to leave, effectively halting parliamentary debates.
More than two hours later, security forces moved them off the central area, allowing the vote to proceed.
"What you are doing is not democratic, it’s not republican," said opposition MP Guy Marius Sagna, who was one of several rebel MPs wearing a sash in the colours of the Senegalese flag.
The ex-Pastef party MP Ayib Daffé, told RFI that he believes the 15 December decision is unconstitutional.
“They managed to pass the amendment which extends the mandate of the president of the republic illegally, unconstitutionally until 15 December. We are not going to accept this."
Other opposition and civil society groups have angrily rejected the decision, with some claiming Sall is trying to postpone his departure.
The F24 platform, a large group of organisations behind past demonstrations, and candidate Khalifa Sall, have called it an "institutional coup".
Protests and more arrests
The postponement faces a strong pushback.
At least three of the 20 presidential candidates submitted legal challenges to the delay, Constitutional Council documents showed. Two more candidates have vowed to challenge it via the courts.
Around 100 people gathered outside parliament on Monday, after confrontations on Sunday, chanting "Macky Sall is a dictator".
Police fired tear gas, chased them into side streets and made arrests.
Earlier, authorities also temporarily restricted mobile internet access since Sunday night, citing hate messages on social media and threats to public order.
The private Walf television channel said it was taken off air on Sunday and had its licence revoked.
Several schools sent pupils home early.
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have issued warnings, calling on the government to respect the right to peaceful assembly and "ensure fundamental freedoms."
The deputy spokesperson for the US State Department, Vedant Patel, also told RFI that Washington is "deeply concerned about the situation in Senegal”, and has called on the Senegalese authorities to "immediately restore access to the internet and to respect freedom of expression, including for the press."
(with Reuters)
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