Senegal Supreme Court rejects opposition party bid to halt presidential election

Senegal's Supreme Court on Friday rejected a bid by one of the main opposition parties to halt a presidential election on March 24, sparing the country from another constitutional crisis.

The Democratic Party of Senegal (PDS) filed an urgent motion to freeze electoral procedures earlier this month, citing irregularities and alleged corruption it said led to the elimination of their candidate Karim Wade. The judge announcing the verdict declared the demand unfounded and said the Constitutional Council - the body that approves presidential candidates - had the legal authority to make the decisions it took.

The Constitutional Council had rescheduled the vote to March after authorities unsuccessfully attempted to postpone it from February to December and then to June, sparking unrest and international condemnation of the usually democratic West African country.

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