Senegal's Supreme Court has 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, on Friday, 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.
President Sall has proposed a bill granting amnesty for acts committed in connection with political demonstrations since 2021.
Opposition leaders released
Meanwhile, Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko and his second-in-command, presidential candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye, have been released from prison in Dakar 10 days before the country's election.
Their release follows weeks of crisis after President Macky Sall postponed the February 25 presidential vote.
It could also dramatically alter the presidential campaign, with Sonko's powerful rhetoric striking a chord with young voters.
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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