the Constitutional Council rejected the candidacy of opponent Ousmane Sonko

The Supreme Court also confirmed, Thursday evening, the opponent’s six-month suspended prison sentence for defamation, a sentence widely seen as making him ineligible for the presidential election.

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A cap bearing the image of Senegalese opponent Ousmane Sonko, in Paris, August 12, 2023. (ADNAN FARZAT / NURPHOTO / AFP)

Ousmane Sonko out of the race. The Constitutional Council of Senegal rejected the opponent’s presidential candidacy on Friday January 5, said his lawyer, Ciré Clédor Ly. Reason: his file was incomplete, according to the president of the body.

Initially, the administration had refused to provide the politician with all the documents necessary to present his candidacy in the election which is to be held on February 25. She claimed that Ousmane Sonko had been removed from the electoral rolls after a conviction in June in a morals case. His team had nevertheless submitted its application to the Constitutional Council.

Imprisoned since the end of July

In addition to this rejection, the Supreme Court confirmed, Thursday evening, the opponent’s sentence of six months in prison for defamation. This sentence is widely seen as making him ineligible for the presidential election.

In another procedure, Ousmane Sonko was found guilty on June 1 of debauchery of a minor and sentenced to two years in prison. The opponent did not appear at the trial and was convicted in absentia. Ousmane Sonko has been imprisoned since the end of July on other charges, including calling for insurrection, and denounces all these cases as plots aimed at removing him from the presidential election.


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