AU says 'concerned' at events in Senegal, wants elections held

The African Union (AU) said Sunday it was concerned at the decision to postpone Senegal's presidential election. 

In a statement, the AU commission chairman Moussa Fakhi Mahamat called on Senegal's government to hold the exercise as possible ''in transparency, peace and national harmony.''

President Macky Sall on Saturday announced the exercise, planned for February 25, would be deferred following a dispute over the candidate list.

The cancellation of the vote has elicited uproar from the opposition which has accused Sall of seeking to extend his mandate indefinitely.

"This is President Macky Sall's balance sheet, and it's a damage and upsetting, because he almost left with his head held high, but now, unfortunately, he's showing the true face. The masks are falling off. He's trying to pull off an electoral holdup. What's that? It's a constitutional coup and we won't accept it,” said Anta Babacar Ngom, a presidential candidate. 

The announcement came after the Constitutional Council last month excluded some prominent opposition members from the list of candidates. Among those excluded are Karim Wade and popular opposition figure Ousmane Sonko.

Violent protests took place Sunday in the capital Dakar to denounce the decision.  On Monday, lawmakers were due to consider the postponement of the election for up to six months. The African Union has appealed for dialogue.