1 year, 2 months ago

Presidential race setback for Senegal opposition leader after court rulings

Senegal’s top opposition leader has suffered major setbacks in his quest to contest the presidency after the Supreme Court upheld a defamation conviction against him and the Constitutional Council later rejected his application to be a presidential candidate. “From the outset, the government has shown its willingness to invalidate Ousmane Sonko’s candidacy.” Ly slammed the Council’s decision as an “electoral farce” and suggested he would lodge “the appeals provided for by law”. The council’s decision came hours after the Supreme Court rejected the jailed opposition leader’s appeal of his conviction for defamation after being sued by a government minister. Sonko lost on all counts,” state lawyer El Hadji Diouf said earlier on Friday after the Supreme Court judge ruled to uphold the six-month suspended sentence following a more-than-12-hour hearing.

Court Opposition Presidential Race Rejected Sonko setback leader charges presidential race opposition court supreme rejected sonko conviction senegal sonkos electoral rulings

History of this topic

3 months, 3 weeks ago

Senegal votes as President Faye eyes parliamentary majority to push reforms

Al Jazeera

More than seven million people eligible to vote in the snap election, with jobs and rising prices on their minds. Polls have opened in Senegal’s parliamentary elections as President Bassirou Diomaye Faye aims for a resounding majority to see through the promises of ambitious reforms that swept him to power eight months ago. Faye secured victory in March pledging economic …

11 months, 2 weeks ago

Opposition figure who became Senegal’s president-elect won over 54% of the vote, results show

Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal — Senegal’s little-known opposition figure who was elected president this week in a tightly contested race won over 54% of the votes, according to results released on Wednesday. The presidential election on Sunday marked a stunning victory for 44-year-old Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who was freed from prison less than two weeks ago and is now due to be …

11 months, 2 weeks ago

Former Senegal prime minister concedes defeat in presidential election to opposition candidate

LA Times

Supporters of presidential candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Senegal’s top opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko, gather outside their campaign headquarters in Dakar, Senegal, on Sunday as they await the results of the presidential election. A former Senegalese prime minister on Monday conceded the presidential election to the opposition candidate based on preliminary results a day after the vote, according to a …

11 months, 2 weeks ago

Senegal awaits the outcome of peaceful presidential election, following months of unrest

New Indian Express

DAKAR: Senegalese anxiously awaited the results of a presidential election Monday, following months of uncertainty and unrest that tested the country's reputation as a stable democracy in a region rife with coups. Analysts say a second round is likely, between opposition candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye and former Prime Minister Amadou Ba, the candidate for the governing party. In the capital, …

1 year ago

Top Senegal opposition leader vows to help win March 24 election, speaking out after prison release

Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal — Top opposition leader Ousmane Sonko vowed Friday to help his team win Senegal’s March 24 presidential election even though he is barred from the ballot, jumping into the campaign in his first public address since being freed from prison a day earlier. Ousmane Sonko’s release late Thursday after months behind bars triggered a mix of jubilation and …

1 year ago

Senegal’s top opposition leaders released from prison as elections loom

Al Jazeera

Freedom for Ousmane Sonko and Bassirou Diomaye Faye could dramatically alter the election race. Senegal’s top opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko, has been released from prison, triggering jubilant celebrations outside the prison as well as across Dakar, the capital. State broadcaster RTS reported Sonko was freed along with key ally Bassirou Diomaye Faye late on Thursday. Their release comes after a …

1 year ago

Senegal’s top opposition leader freed from prison ahead of presidential election this month

Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal — Senegal’s top opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko, has been released from prison ahead of the presidential election later this month, triggering jubilant celebrations across the country’s capital. Sonko, who finished third in the 2019 presidential election, is popular among young people and his fiery campaign to tackle corruption has resonated in a country with economic hardship. Sall himself …

1 year ago

Senegal’s presidential candidates kick off campaigns after violent protests over a delay of the vote

Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal — Presidential candidates in Senegal kicked off their election campaigns on Saturday, following weeks of violent protests across the African country after the vote was delayed. The 19 approved candidates vying for the top job now have a shorter period to rally supporters ahead of the March 24 election, expected to be the most tightly contested race since …

1 year, 1 month ago

Senegal president Sall to implement court order reversing election delay

Al Jazeera

The delay threw Senegal, usually seen as one of the most stable West African countries, into political turmoil. Senegal’s President Macky Sall on Friday pledged to organise presidential elections “as soon as possible” after the Constitutional Council overruled his decision to delay this month’s vote. “The constitutional council, noting the impossibility of organising the presidential election on the date initially …

1 year, 1 month ago

Delay of Senegal’s Feb. 25 presidential election is ruled illegal, leaving date uncertain

Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal — Senegal’s top election authority on Thursday voided the government’s postponement of a presidential election scheduled for Feb. 25 and its rescheduling for December, ruling that the moves were unconstitutional. Senegal’s Constitutional Council cancelled the decree signed by President Macky Sall that postponed the election, according to a judgement approved by seven members of the body, a copy …

1 year, 1 month ago

Senegal’s president defends delaying elections in exclusive interview as protests erupt nationwide

Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal — Senegalese President Macky Sall defended his decision to postpone elections as violent protests erupted across the country on Friday. Senegal is one of West Africa’s most stable democracies, but the presidential vote has been dogged by controversies from deadly protests that resulted in Sall announcing that he would not seek a third term, to the disqualification of …

1 year, 1 month ago

Senegal parliament delays election until December after opposition lawmakers are blocked from voting

Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal — Senegal’s parliament voted Monday to delay the West African nation’s presidential election until Dec. 15 in a chaotic voting process that took place after opposition lawmakers were forcefully removed from the chambers as they debated President Macky Sall’s earlier decision to delay the crucial election. Sall — who in July said he would not seek a third …

1 year, 1 month ago

Police and protesters clash after Senegal election postponed

Al Jazeera

Police made arrests and fired tear gas as opposition supporters protested President Macky Sall’s decision to postpone elections in Senegal. Demonstrators rallied in the capital Dakar after leading opposition figures and candidates in the presidential election rejected Saturday’s announcement and called on citizens to defend democracy. Sall’s announcement followed a request to postpone the vote by the opposition Senegalese Democratic …

1 year, 1 month ago

Senegal’s leader postpones Feb. 25 presidential vote, citing controversies over candidate lists

Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal — Senegalese President Macky Sall on Saturday postponed presidential elections scheduled for Feb. 25, citing controversies over the disqualification of some candidates and allegations of corruption in election-related cases. The controversies over the candidates “could seriously harm the credibility of the election by creating the seeds of pre- and post-electoral litigation,” Sall said without announcing a new date …

1 year, 1 month ago

Senegal’s president postpones election dogged by controversies

LA Times

Senegal President Macky Sall postponed elections that were scheduled this month, citing controversies over some candidates’ disqualifications. Senegalese President Macky Sall on Saturday postponed presidential elections scheduled for Feb. 25, citing controversies over the disqualification of some candidates and allegations of corruption in election-related cases. The controversies over the candidates “could seriously harm the credibility of the election by creating …

1 year, 1 month ago

Two opposition leaders in Senegal are excluded from the final list of presidential candidates

Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal — Senegal’s highest election authority has excluded two top opposition leaders from the final list of candidates for the West African nation’s presidential election next month. The list published Saturday by Senegal’s Constitutional Council named 20 candidates, including Prime Minister Amadou Ba, who has the backing of outgoing President Macky Sall and is seen as a major contender. …

1 year, 2 months ago

Senegal’s opposition leader faces another setback in presidential race after application is rejected

Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal — Senegal’s top opposition leader on Friday suffered major setbacks in his quest to contest the presidency when a top court upheld the defamation conviction against him and the Constitutional Council rejected his application to be a presidential candidate on the basis that it was incomplete. “From the outset, the government has shown its willingness to invalidate Ousmane …

1 year, 3 months ago

Senegal’s opposition leader could run for president after a court overturns a ruling barring his bid

Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal — Senegal’s opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was ordered to be reinstated on the electoral list Thursday, which could allow him to run for president in February’s election. The court of first instance’s decision overturned a November ruling by the Supreme Court that effectively barred the detained opposition leader’s bid to run. Ousmane Sonko will be reinstated on the …

1 year, 3 months ago

Senegal court orders reinstatement of Sonko on election list

Al Jazeera

1 year, 3 months ago

Ruling by Senegal’s highest court blocks jailed opposition leader Sonko from running for president

Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal — Senegal’s highest court on Friday effectively barred detained opposition leader Ousmane Sonko from running for president early next year by overturning a decision that would have reinstated him to the West African country’s voter rolls. Senegal’s government formally dissolved Sonko’s political party earlier this year and canceled his voter registration after he was convicted of corrupting youth. …

1 year, 4 months ago

Senegal electoral commission says main opposition leader Sonko should be given sponsorship forms

Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal — Senegal’s electoral commission on Tuesday asked that sponsorship forms be given to main opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, whose candidacy for the upcoming presidential election has been called into question over the past year amid a series of criminal charges. The ECOWAS Court of Justice said that it would render its verdict next week on Senegal’s dissolution of …

1 year, 9 months ago

Senegal opposition leader Sonko convicted of corrupting youth, acquitted of rape

Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal — Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was convicted Thursday of corrupting youth but acquitted on charges of raping a woman who worked at a massage parlor and making death threats against her. Under Senegalese law, his conviction would bar Sonko from running in next year’s election, said Bamba Cisse, another defense lawyer. “The verdict cements the criticism that …

1 year, 9 months ago

Ousmane Sonko sentenced: Why are tensions flaring in Senegal?

Al Jazeera

Supporters of opposition figure denounce charges and two-year sentence as a ploy to prevent him from running in presidential elections next year. Sonko’s supporters threw rocks at riot police and set fire to buses on Thursday after a court sentenced him in absentia for “corrupting youth”. After Thursday’s verdict, clashes broke out between police and protesters, buses were set alight …

1 year, 9 months ago

At least 9 dead in clashes between police and opposition leader’s supporters in Senegal

LA Times

Clashes between police and supporters of Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko left nine people dead, the government said Friday, with authorities issuing a blanket ban on the use of several social media platforms in the aftermath of the violence. Under Senegalese law, his conviction would bar Sonko from running in next year’s election, said Bamba Cisse, another defense lawyer. “The …

1 year, 9 months ago

Trial for Senegal’s main opposition leader ends, verdict expected next week

Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal — A highly-anticipated trial of Senegal’s main opposition leader ended Tuesday evening with a verdict expected next week, a court said Wednesday. The 20-hour hearing included testimonies from Sonko’s accuser, a woman working at a massage parlor, and a dozen witnesses. Last week one police officer was killed and several protestors were injured during clashes between security forces …

1 year, 10 months ago

Senegal opposition leader’s trial postponed after day of violence

Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal — The rape trial of Senegal’s main opposition leader Ousmane Sonko that was due to open on Tuesday in the capital has been postponed until May 23. Police and Sonko’s supporters clashed Monday in the southern city of Ziguinchor where youths threw stones and used tree trunks to barricade streets leading to Sonko’s house. The judge of the …

1 year, 10 months ago

Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko’s rape trial adjourned

Al Jazeera

Ousmane Sonko, who denies charges, does not turn up for court appearance in Dakar. The trial of Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko for alleged rape has been immediately adjourned for a week, after opening in his absence at a court in the capital, Dakar. “Sonko says he’s not attending court because his rights are not being respected,” Al Jazeera’s Nicolas …

1 year, 10 months ago

Sonko election bid in doubt as Senegal court increases sentence

Al Jazeera

The ruling is the latest twist in a saga that has fuelled unrest in Senegal, a usually stable state in a restive region. A Senegalese court has handed opposition figure Ousmane Sonko a six-month suspended sentence in an appeal of a defamation case that could jeopardise his run for president next year. Baboucar Cisse, a lawyer for the minister, told …

1 year, 11 months ago

Prosecutors in Senegal appeal opposition leader’s sentence

Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal — Prosecutors in Senegal who had sought two years in prison for opposition leader Ousmane Sonko have filed an appeal after he was given a much lighter, two-month suspended sentence for his conviction on libel charges in a case his supporters say was politically motivated. The outcome of Thursday’s verdict allows Sonko to run for president next year …

1 year, 11 months ago

Senegal’s top opposition leader found guilty of libel

Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal — Senegal’s top opposition leader has been given a two-month suspended sentence after being found guilty of libel. they decided to force it but they know that it’s not normal,” El Malick Ndiaye, national secretary in charge of communication for Sonko’s Pastef Les Patriotes party, told The Associated Press. Sonko finished third in Senegal’s 2019 presidential election and …

1 year, 11 months ago

Senegal’s Ousmane Sonko given two-month suspended term for libel

Al Jazeera

A court in Senegal has handed down a two-month suspended prison sentence to leading opposition politician Ousmane Sonko for libel, his lawyers said. “The opposition has always said the justice system serves the purpose of eliminating the opposition that could be rivals to the president, but the ruling party says the verdict shows that democracy is thriving in Senegal,” Haque …

2 years, 1 month ago

Senegal opposition leader Sonko to face trial over rape charges

Al Jazeera

Some opposition leaders and Sonko’s supporters fear the case is an attempt by Senegal’s president to remove a potentially popular rival. Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko will face trial on charges of rape and making death threats to a beauty salon employee in 2021, an investigating judge has said. Some opposition leaders and Sonko’s supporters fear the case is an …

4 years ago

Senegal opposition chief to appear in court over rape allegation

Al Jazeera

Summons came after Senegal’s parliament voted to strip Sonko of legal immunity. The head of Senegal’s leading opposition party says he will appear before a judge to answer questions over rape allegations. The summons for his appearance on Wednesday came after Senegal’s parliament voted late last week to strip Sonko of his legal immunity, paving the way for a police …

4 years, 5 months ago

Opposition leader Soro warns Ivory Coast ‘on brink’ ahead of poll

Al Jazeera

President Ouattara’s former ally says his candidacy is ‘unchangeable and irrevocable’ despite rejection by top court. Former rebel leader Guillaume Soro has warned that Ivory Coast is teetering on the edge after a court invalidated his candidacy amid rising tensions over incumbent President Alassane Ouattara’s contested bid for re-election next month. The Constitutional Court validated Ouattara’s candidacy bid but sidelined …

Presidential race setback for Senegal opposition leader after court rulings

History of this topic

Senegal votes as President Faye eyes parliamentary majority to push reforms

Opposition figure who became Senegal’s president-elect won over 54% of the vote, results show

Former Senegal prime minister concedes defeat in presidential election to opposition candidate

Senegal awaits the outcome of peaceful presidential election, following months of unrest

Top Senegal opposition leader vows to help win March 24 election, speaking out after prison release

Senegal’s top opposition leaders released from prison as elections loom

Senegal’s top opposition leader freed from prison ahead of presidential election this month

Senegal’s presidential candidates kick off campaigns after violent protests over a delay of the vote

Senegal president Sall to implement court order reversing election delay

Delay of Senegal’s Feb. 25 presidential election is ruled illegal, leaving date uncertain

Senegal’s president defends delaying elections in exclusive interview as protests erupt nationwide

Senegal parliament delays election until December after opposition lawmakers are blocked from voting

Police and protesters clash after Senegal election postponed

Senegal’s leader postpones Feb. 25 presidential vote, citing controversies over candidate lists

Senegal’s president postpones election dogged by controversies

Two opposition leaders in Senegal are excluded from the final list of presidential candidates

Senegal’s opposition leader faces another setback in presidential race after application is rejected

Senegal’s opposition leader could run for president after a court overturns a ruling barring his bid

Senegal court orders reinstatement of Sonko on election list

Ruling by Senegal’s highest court blocks jailed opposition leader Sonko from running for president

Senegal electoral commission says main opposition leader Sonko should be given sponsorship forms

Senegal opposition leader Sonko convicted of corrupting youth, acquitted of rape

Ousmane Sonko sentenced: Why are tensions flaring in Senegal?

At least 9 dead in clashes between police and opposition leader’s supporters in Senegal

Trial for Senegal’s main opposition leader ends, verdict expected next week

Senegal opposition leader’s trial postponed after day of violence

Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko’s rape trial adjourned

Sonko election bid in doubt as Senegal court increases sentence

Prosecutors in Senegal appeal opposition leader’s sentence

Senegal’s top opposition leader found guilty of libel

Senegal’s Ousmane Sonko given two-month suspended term for libel

Senegal opposition leader Sonko to face trial over rape charges

Senegal opposition chief to appear in court over rape allegation

Opposition leader Soro warns Ivory Coast ‘on brink’ ahead of poll

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