Politics

Senegal: Supreme court against Sonko’s appeal of libel conviction

Published

11 months ago

January 6, 2024

The presidential hopes of Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, were dealt a blow on Friday as the country’s Supreme Court ruled against his appeal of his libel conviction.

Lawyers involved in the case said that the court denied Sonko’s appeal against a May conviction that resulted in a six-month suspended sentence for libel after deliberations that lasted from Thursday into the early hours of Friday.

According to Senegalese law, Sonko cannot compete in the presidential race while such a conviction is upheld.

Sonko’s solicitors stated that the loss was not irreversible. His attorney, Cire Cledor Ly, told reporters outside the Dakar courthouse, “The fight will go on.”

But the plaintiff’s lawyer, El Hadji Diouf insisted that he remain ruled out. “We have just recorded a great victory. The … sentence is upheld, so Ousmane Sonko will not be able to participate in the election.”

Since 2021, Sonko, has been involved in several legal battles. His accusation of rape in 2021 set off a deadly nationwide unrest that has since flared up periodically over a series of court rulings.

These have complicated his intentions to run for president in the election scheduled for February 25 and fueled unrest that has damaged Senegal’s standing as one of the most stable democracies in West Africa.

The controversial politician Sonko received 687,523 votes to finish third in the most recent presidential election.

The date of the presidential contest is set for February 25. Several parties have declared their intention to run for office by electoral law, but they must first obtain enough public support to move on to the sponsorship stage.

A candidate for president must obtain the signatures of 0.8% to 1% of the electorate. These signatures need to be gathered in each of the minimum seven of Senegal’s fourteen regions, with a minimum of 2,000 sponsorships.

Politics

Mali’s junta names spokesman Abdoulaye Maiga new Prime Minister

Published

4 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

A day after dismissing Choguel Maiga for criticising the government, Mali’s governing junta named its spokesperson, Abdoulaye Maiga, as Prime Minister on Thursday, according to state broadcaster, ORTM.

A source close to Choguel Maiga told Reuters that the ruling generals were incensed by Maiga’s remarks over the weekend denouncing the junta’s inability to hold elections within the 24-month timeframe given for the return to democracy.

After promising to hold elections in February, the military authorities, who took control in two separate coups in 2020 and 2021, have put off the poll indefinitely, citing technological difficulties.

Choguel Maiga’s firing coincides with indications of growing discontent and disarray among Mali politicians, even those who first supported the coup and collaborated with the junta.

As the wait for elections continues, Choguel Maiga, a civilian prime minister who was installed by the military junta in 2021, is the most recent to lose support.

He was cited on Saturday as claiming he learnt of the junta’s decision via the media and that there had been no discussion regarding the delay of the elections inside the cabinet.

“It’s all happening in total secrecy, without the prime minister’s knowledge,” Choguel Maiga told reporters.

Before then, he had frequently stood up for Mali’s junta against criticism from foreign friends and neighbours in West Africa who denounced its repeated election delays and military collaboration with Russian mercenaries.

As government spokesperson, Abdoulaye Maiga, the new prime minister, has also made strong public remarks against France, the previous colonial master. One such speech was demanding French President Emmanuel Macron to stop his “neocolonial” and “condescending” behaviour.

Abdoulaye Maiga and Assimi Goita, the leaders of the junta, announced they had kept all of the important cabinet ministers in their portfolios in the new administration in a statement that was broadcast on state television ORTM.

The announcement said that Abdoulaye Maiga will remain minister of territory administration.

Politics

Congo opposition mobilizes protests against constitution review

Published

1 day ago

November 21, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In response to President Felix Tshisekedi’s intentions to amend the constitution, opposition lawmakers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have called for national protests on Wednesday.

Tshisekedi, who was sworn in for his second and last term in January, said that a panel would be formed in October to recommend possible constitutional amendments.

According to critics, it may be a ploy to lift term restrictions and give him another chance to run.

Tshisekedi said the current constitution, ratified by a referendum in 2005, needed to change because it did not align with the country’s current realities.

Opposition politicians, including former president Joseph Kabila and past presidential candidates Martin Fayulu and Moise Katumbi, issued a unified statement on Wednesday urging rallies to “block” Tshisekedi.

A request for a response from the Congo’s presidency was not answered.

Patrick Muyaya, the minister of communications, stated on Monday that discussions surrounding the constitutional revision should be de-politicized and that no one should doubt the president’s intentions.

“We’re at the beginning of our mandate… The President of the Republic still has four years to go, and we must avoid attributing intentions to him,” Muyaya told reporters.