Macky sall
Senegal again postpones local elections
The cabinet has approved the postponement and extended the mandates of those currently in office, a government statement said.
The declaration had led to restrictions, including a curfew in the capital Dakar -- measures which added to frustrations highlighted in recent protests.
In a televised speech, Sall pointed to the economic fallout of the pandemic, saying that growth in the impoverished country would slow "from to 6.8% to 1.1% or even less".
The measure is precautionary as an initial COVID-19 test of President Macky Sall has come back negative.
Mosques will be reopened for prayers during the holy month of Ramadan, and churches will also be allowed to accept worshippers.
"The whole African continent is worried about the consequences of what is happening in Libya," he said during a press conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Senegalese capital Dakar.
Provisional results announced by Senegal’s official counting body last week had showed Sall comfortably securing a second term without a run-off vote.
President Macky Sall has been given a second mandate to lead one of the fastest growing economies on the African continent.
Media website Dakaractu.com said that Sall had won over 58% based on preliminary data from polling stations, while the commission source said he won 59.5%.
The West African nation has long been viewed as the region’s most stable democracy, with peaceful transitions of power since independence in 1960.
His two biggest rivals - popular Dakar ex-mayor Khalifa Sall and Karim Wade, the son of the previous president - were disqualified after being convicted of corruption in trials questioned by rights
President Macky Sall, 57, is facing only four contenders in the first round of voting after two of Senegal’s best-known opposition figures were ruled out.
Since Macky Sall was elected president in 2012, Senegal’s economic growth rate has risen to more than 6%, one of Africa’s fastest, and electricity has been extended to thousands of villages in poor areas.
President Macky Sall is widely expected to win a second term in moves critics said represented a worrying crackdown on dissent.
The violence erupted on Monday in Tambacounda, 400 km east of Dakar, pitching supporters of President Macky Sall against those of opposition candidate Issa Sall.
A police official told AFP the individual was stabbed during "scuffles" between the Unity and Assembly Party (PUR), which is led by opposition leader Issa Sall, and pro-government campaigners.
The seven-member court late Sunday confirmed a provisional list issued last week that barred former Dakar mayor Khalifa Sall and ex-minister Karim Wade because of convictions for misuse of public funds.
Opponents of President Macky Sall say he has tried to silence political opposition ahead of the 24 February election.
President Macky Sall's ruling coalition took 125 seats in the 165-seat National Assembly after winning nearly 50% of the vote.