DAKAR (Reuters) – Senegal’s Constitutional Council on Friday rejected the candidacy of opponent Ousmane Sonko in next month’s presidential election, said one of his lawyers, Cire Cledor Ly.
This decision is a serious blow to the presidential ambitions of Ousmane Sonko, targeted by numerous legal proceedings since he was accused of rape in 2021.
Ousmane Sonko was cleared of this charge last June but convicted of “corruption of youth”.
He was also sentenced last May to a six-month suspended prison sentence for defamation, and arrested last July for calling for insurrection. His party, Pastef, was dissolved.
An appeal against his conviction for defamation was rejected early Friday by the Supreme Court.
Ousmane Sonko nevertheless submitted his candidacy from prison in December after a court decision in his favor.
The opponent rejects all accusations against him that he considers motivated by political considerations. His supporters violently demonstrated against the power in place and President Macky Sall throughout his legal setbacks.
Reached by telephone, Cire Cledor Ly declared that the Constitutional Council had rejected Ousmane Sonko’s candidacy for incomplete file. He said the opponent’s defense team plans to file an appeal with the Council once it obtains more information about the missing documents.
The presidential election, scheduled for February 25, is a farce “because everything is opaque and lacks transparency”, denounced the lawyer.
Candidates for the presidential election are currently being examined before a deadline of January 20 for the publication of the final list of applicants.
Last September, Macky Sall named Prime Minister Amadou Ba as candidate for the ruling coalition.
One of Ousmane Sonko’s close allies, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, filed as an independent candidate.
(Reporting Portia Crowe and Diadie Ba, written by Sofia Christensen; French version Camille Raynaud and Jean-Stéphane Brosse)
©2024 Thomson Reuters, all rights reserved. Reuters content is the intellectual property of Thomson Reuters or its third party content providers. Any copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. “Reuters” and the Reuters Logo are trademarks of Thomson Reuters and its affiliated companies.