FILE PHOTO: Senegalese presidential candidate Khalifa Sall speaks during a press conference after Senegal's Constitutional Council ruled that the parliament's unprecedented postponement of the February 25 presidential vote was not in line with the constitution, in Dakar, Senegal February 16, 2024. REUTERS/Ngouda Dione/File Photo
DAKAR (Reuters) - Senegalese presidential candidates launched their shortened campaigns on Saturday, two days after a court confirmed the election would be held on March 24, ending weeks of uncertainty and kick-starting a competition that remains wide open.
Tensions have gripped the country since early February, when a bid by President Macky Sall to postpone by 10 months a vote that had been due to take place on Feb. 25 provoked widespread protests and warnings by critics of democratic backsliding. Senegal, a country of 18 million, is normally one of West Africa's most stable democracies.
