Senegal’s Constitutional Council has rejected the candidacy of jailed opposition leader Ousmane Sonko for the upcoming presidential election, according to his lawyer. The rejection is based on the grounds that Sonko’s application was incomplete. The long-running judicial saga surrounding the opposition figure, who finished third in the 2019 presidential election, has been a source of bitter contention with the state for over two years, leading to periodic deadly unrest. Sonko’s lawyer denounced the decision as an “electoral farce,” and although he maintains the right to run, the Constitutional Council cited an incomplete file.
Sonko’s chances were further jeopardized as the Supreme Court upheld a six-month suspended sentence for defamation, closing a case that involved a hefty fine. Despite the legal challenges, Sonko’s camp argues that he still has the right to run in the election, pointing to a judge’s order in December to reinstate him on the electoral roll. Leaders from Sonko’s coalition criticized the Constitutional Council, alleging “complicity” in a “plot” to eliminate him from the ballot. Sonko, a firebrand figurehead, has been incarcerated since July on various charges, including calling for insurrection and endangering state security.