The postponement of Senegal’s presidential election ushers in a “period of uncertainty,” the European Union said, and the United States called for a quick new date for free elections, ahead of opposition protests expected in the capital Dakar.

“The European Union … calls on all actors to work to ensure that a transparent, inclusive and credible election takes place as soon as possible,” EU spokeswoman Nabila Massrali said in a statement on Sunday.

Senegal’s President Macky Sall spoke on Saturday postponed indefinitely The election is scheduled for February 25th.

In a televised address to the nation, Sall announced that he had repealed the relevant electoral law, citing a dispute over the list of candidates.

He said he signed a decree repealing a November 2023 measure that set the original election date but did not specify a new date.

Last month, Senegal’s Constitutional Council some prominent opposition members excluded from the candidate list.

France, the country’s former colonial power, called for a vote “as soon as possible” and said Senegal should end “insecurity.”

“We call on the authorities to end the uncertainty about the electoral calendar so that the vote can take place as soon as possible according to the rules of Senegalese democracy,” the French foreign ministry said in a statement.

Opposition presidential candidates said they would launch their campaigns despite the postponement.

Senegal has traditionally been seen as a rare example of democratic stability in West Africa, which has been hit by a series of coups in recent years, including in Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.

Police use tear gas during protests

Meanwhile, Senegalese police fired tear gas at hundreds of opposition supporters in the capital Dakar on Sunday, the first such clashes after Sall announced the postponement of elections, an AFP journalist saw.

Gendarmes fired tear gas to disperse men and women of all ages. They waved Senegalese flags or wore the jersey of the national soccer team, which had gathered at a roundabout on one of the capital’s main streets in the early afternoon at the call of numerous people for opposition candidates.

Police then pursued the fleeing protesters into surrounding neighborhoods, with some members of the crowd throwing rocks at police.

Reporting from the outskirts of Dakar, Al Jazeera’s Nicolas Haque says all 19 opposition candidates in the canceled election have called on their supporters to gather in the area.

“There is a feeling that the security forces do not want gatherings of this kind. But for opposition members, the decree will not be in force until it is published in government papers. The decree to which I allude is the decree of Sall that the elections are canceled; They are angry about this decision,” Haque said.

“Some of the opposition figures I spoke to said it was a ploy for him to cling to power, others described it as a constitutional coup. A motorcyclist on the street shouted, “We’re burning everything down.” Every protester we spoke to is angry about this decision. They feel robbed of their voice in this election canceled by Sall.”

Around 200 protesters blocked traffic on a major road in Dakar with a makeshift barricade made of burning tires, Reuters reported.

After riot police fired tear gas and began making arrests, the crowds retreated to side streets.

Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Further protests are planned in front of Parliament on Monday.

“Inclusive and credible elections”

The US State Department noted Senegal’s “strong tradition of democracy and peaceful transitions of power” and “encouraged all participants to do so [the] “I will call on the electoral process to work together peacefully to quickly set a new date and conditions for a timely, free and fair election.”

Senegalese politicians must “prioritize dialogue and cooperation to ensure transparent, inclusive and credible elections,” the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) bloc said in a statement calling on authorities to “accelerate the various processes to set a new date for the elections.” “.

Opponents suspect that the president’s camp fears the defeat of his appointed successor, Prime Minister Amadou Ba.

Senegal cannot “indulge in a new crisis” after deadly political violence in March 2021 and June 2023, Sall said on Saturday as he announced a “national dialogue” to organize “free, transparent and inclusive elections.”

The country’s electoral law stipulates that at least 80 days must pass between the announcement of a new presidential election and election day – theoretically, the earliest possible new date is the end of April at the earliest.

Sall’s term as president is scheduled to end on April 2nd.

Analysts say the crisis is testing one of Africa’s most stable democracies at a time when the region is grappling with a recent wave of coups.

Senegal is embroiled in political tensions following deadly clashes between opposition supporters and the disqualification of two opposition leaders ahead of a crucial vote.