DAKAR: Senegalese lawmakers on Monday got physical as they debated an unprecedented move to delay this month’s presidential election, which also sparked clashes outside parliament and prompted international concern.

The mood in the chamber was close to boiling point by early afternoon, with some deputies shoving and pushing one another, leading to a temporary recess. Outside, security forces earlier used tear gas to disperse small groups of opposition protesters, with demonstrators chanting “Macky Sall dictator” referring to the country’s president.

The atmosphere in Senegal — often viewed as a bastion of stability in coup-hit West Africa — has been tense since Saturday when Sall announced a delay to the February 25 vote, just hours before campaigning was officially set to begin.

“Let’s not be an assembly of shame. Let’s make sure that when we leave here we can look at our children with pride and say that we were the last wall, the last bulwark,” said opposition MP Abass Fall during the debate.

Lawmakers are debating a proposal for a delay of six months or up to a year, until February 2025, according to the text distributed at the meeting. Adopted a day earlier by a preparatory committee, the text is supported by MPs from Sall’s party. But it needs the support of three-fifths of the 165 deputies to pass and is a done deal.

“President Macky Sall said he would serve two terms. He has kept his word,” said another MP Moussa Diakhate, chairman of the pro-government law committee. The vote was expected later in the day on Monday.

‘Constitutional coup’

The sporadic clashes outside parliament were a rare sight in the normally calm area of downtown Dakar, where police and security forces backed up by heavy vehicles were mobilised to protect parliament.

Demonstrator Malick Diouf, 37, said he had no preferred candidate and did not even have a voting card, but felt it crucial to come 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 said. Opposition leaders have denounced the proposed delay as a “constitutional coup” and an assault on democracy.

Violent street protests rocked the capital Dakar on Sunday, during which two opposition candidates, including former prime minister Aminata Toure, were arrested and later released. The government early suspended mobile internet access, citing the dissemination of “hateful and subversive messages” on social media.

It was a repeat of a move last June, which saw mobile data restricted amid high tensions in the country. The measure has become a common response to curb mobilisation and communication via social networks.

Unprecedented move

Regardless of the outcome of the vote, the situation is unprecedented in Senegal. The country has never experienced a coup since gaining independence from France in 1960, making it a rare outlier in a volatile region.

The proposed delay has sparked growing international concern, with the United States, European Union and France all appealing for the election to be rescheduled as soon as possible.

The chairman of the African Union commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, also urged Senegal to resolve its “political dispute through consultation, understanding and dialogue”.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2024