ECOWAS in crisis with Senegal election delay

ECOWAS faces crisis as Senegalese election postponement sparks controversy, calls Senegal to hold the election this month as planned

ECOWAS, the regional bloc in West Africa, is currently facing a crisis exacerbated by recent coups in Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali. Governments in these nations are contemplating withdrawing from ECOWAS. Additionally, the Senegalese government has postponed elections that were initially slated for this month, delaying them until 10 months later. 

ECOWAS argued against Senegalese President Macky Sall’s decision to postpone the presidential election three weeks before the vote and called for elections to be held this month instead of a 10-month delay.

President Sall postponed the Feb. 25 vote, citing an electoral dispute between the parliament and the judiciary regarding some candidacies. Opposition leaders and candidates rejected the decision, calling it a “coup.”

Clashes occurred between opposition forces and police in Senegal, with three opposition lawmakers arrested in the aftermath of the postponement decision.