Cape Verdean President Jose Maria Neves on Thursday defended the need to hold elections in Senegal as quickly as possible to avoid the risk of deteriorating stability in the country closest to Cape Verde.
José María Neves considered it important to “avoid spaces that could be occupied by extremist groups and lead to a deterioration of the security situation in Senegal, as well as destabilization and erosion of the democratic process in the neighboring country,” he told Rádio e Televisão de Cabo. Verde as part of a visit to Fogo Island.
The head of state considered that “the game cannot be interrupted in the middle,” hinting at the electoral process, hoping that “a consensus can be reached so that the elections take place as quickly as possible.”
In line with the positions of the European Union (EU), the United States (US) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Neves believes, however, that it is unlikely that the original election date (February 25) will be met.
“It’s difficult for me. At the moment, the most sensible thing is for the government and opposition forces to quickly find a solution so that they can be held in March as quickly as possible to restore stability,” he said.
In the same statements, José Maria Neves emphasized the importance of Senegal for the Portuguese-speaking archipelago: “it is the closest country to Cape Verde and we are interested in security, stability and democracy in Senegal.”
Senegalese President Macky Sall has ordered the presidential elections scheduled for February 25 to be postponed to December 15.
The postponement was announced 12 hours before the start of the election campaign, the culmination of a political battle over the legitimacy of candidates cleared to run in the elections by Senegal’s Constitutional Council, the body responsible for overseeing elections.
A group of Senegalese civil society organizations on Thursday called on the population to “mobilize en masse” against the postponement of presidential elections, saying they were preparing several actions, including a demonstration and a general strike.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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