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FRANCE 24's Special Edition

Senegal vote postponement latest crisis to hit 'West Africa's most stable democracy'

President Macky Sall postponed Senegal's planned Feb. 25 presidential election, announcing in a televised address to the nation on Saturday that he had cancelled the relevant law due to electoral issues he warned would fuel disputes.

Senegalese President Macky Sall postponed the country's presidential elections
Senegalese President Macky Sall postponed the country's presidential elections © FRANCE 24 screengrab
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With little more than three weeks to go before the vote, the unprecedented step of delaying the poll to an unspecified date pitches Senegal into uncharted constitutional waters that some opposition and civil society groups said amounted to an "institutional coup".

One opposition coalition has already vowed to challenge the move in the courts, raising the prospect of a protracted legal battle that could further muddy the democratic outlook.

Sall's decision follows the constitutional council's January decision to exclude some prominent contenders from the electoral list, which has fanned discontent about the election process.

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