©(AFP)
Senegalese lawmakers voted late on Monday to delay this month's presidential election until December, an unprecedented move that sparked international concern over a country normally seen as a beacon of stability in West Africa.
The bill was passed nearly unanimously, with 105 votes in favor and one against, after opposition deputies were forcibly removed from the chamber.
It paves the way for President Macky Sall to remain in office until his successor is elected, despite growing concerns about the erosion of democracy.
"The situation is completely catastrophic, Senegal's image is ruined, and I don't think we'll be recovering from this democratic bankruptcy, this tsunami in the rule of law, any time soon," opposition deputy Ayib Daffe said after the vote.
Earlier, security forces outside used tear gas to disperse small groups of opposition protesters, with demonstrators chanting, "Macky Sall dictator."
The atmosphere in Senegal has been tense since Saturday, when Sall announced a delay to the February 25 vote, just hours before campaigning was officially set to begin.
Adopted a day earlier by a preparatory committee, the proposal for the election delay was supported by MPs from Sall's party, which has been unable to fully coalesce around the president's favoured successor.
Violence previously broke out in Senegal over fears that Sall would try to extend his tenure beyond the end of his second term, and he previously insisted that he would not do so.
With AFP
The bill was passed nearly unanimously, with 105 votes in favor and one against, after opposition deputies were forcibly removed from the chamber.
It paves the way for President Macky Sall to remain in office until his successor is elected, despite growing concerns about the erosion of democracy.
"The situation is completely catastrophic, Senegal's image is ruined, and I don't think we'll be recovering from this democratic bankruptcy, this tsunami in the rule of law, any time soon," opposition deputy Ayib Daffe said after the vote.
Earlier, security forces outside used tear gas to disperse small groups of opposition protesters, with demonstrators chanting, "Macky Sall dictator."
The atmosphere in Senegal has been tense since Saturday, when Sall announced a delay to the February 25 vote, just hours before campaigning was officially set to begin.
Adopted a day earlier by a preparatory committee, the proposal for the election delay was supported by MPs from Sall's party, which has been unable to fully coalesce around the president's favoured successor.
Violence previously broke out in Senegal over fears that Sall would try to extend his tenure beyond the end of his second term, and he previously insisted that he would not do so.
With AFP
This Is Beirut
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