The United Democratic Party (UDP) has condemned Senegalese President Macky Sall’s announcement on February 3rd for the postponement of the presidential elections scheduled for 25 February 2024.
In a statement made available to this medium on Monday, the UDP said it firmly believes that, given the historical ties between The Gambia and Senegal, any major upheaval in Senegal will have ramifications for the Gambia and the sub-region.
“President Macky Sall’s seminal work in the restoration of democracy in The Gambia in 2017 following the defeat of Yahya Jammeh in December of 2016 and his successive Chairmanship of ECOWAS and the African Union portrays him as a great champion of democracy in Africa in general and the West Africa subregion, in particular,” the UDP said.
“For these reasons, UDP regards President Sall’s Statement of 3rd February 2024 as a significant backsliding on the democratic gains the subregion has registered since the early 1990s.
“Therefore, UDP respectfully urges President Sall to reconsider his decision and to be mindful of his legacy as a democratic leader in Africa,” added the statement.
The UDP said postponing a scheduled presidential election sends the wrong signals across the subregion.