WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The International Monetary Fund is actively monitoring the situation in Senegal and hopes for a “speedy resolution” to ensure continued stability in the country, IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack said on Thursday.
The postponement of Senegal’s presidential election from Feb. 25 to Dec. 15 has been ruled unconstitutional and the authorities are under pressure to schedule the vote to be held as soon as possible before President Macky Sall’s term ends on April 2.
The electoral crisis has led to violent protests and warnings of authoritarian overreach in one of coup-hit West Africa’s more stable democracies. Any pushback against the constitutional council’s ruling would risk more unrest.
“We’re actively monitoring the situation in Senegal. We’re engaging with relevant stakeholders and certainly hope that there is a speedy resolution to ensure continued stability and economic progress in the country,” Kozack told reporters at a regular news briefing.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
