WASHINGTON, United States: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken Tuesday urged for elections in Senegal to be held as early as possible as he voiced alarm about the country’s delayed vote.
The demand came in a call to President Macky Sall.
Blinken “spoke to the president of Senegal this morning to reiterate our concern about the situation there and to make quite clear that we want to see elections continue as they were scheduled — we want to see them take place as soon as possible,” Matthew Miller, State Department spokesman, told reporters.
Miller also said that the US was “extremely concerned about the situation” in the West African country, where authorities Tuesday suspended mobile internet and banned a protest march.
Sall postponed the February 25 election, sparking a political crisis in Senegal, traditionally stable, and held up by Blinken to visit in 2021 as an example of democracy on the continent.
Miller said Blinken called for the election to be held on time, “and if it doesn’t happen on February 25, we want it to be held as soon as possible after that is realistically possible.”