The World Briefly
December 15, 2023Getting to First Base
Senegal
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A Senegalese judge ordered the reinstatement of jailed opposition leader Ousmane Sonko on the electoral roll Thursday, allowing him to participate in the upcoming presidential election next year, Agence France-Presse reported.
The recent ruling is the latest in a series of court cases over the past two years involving Sonko, who has been clashing with the government ahead of the February 2024 elections.
Previous cases against him triggered deadly unrest across the West African country.
Sonko had been removed from the electoral roll after receiving a two-year prison sentence in June for allegedly morally corrupting a young person.
In late July, he faced additional charges, including allegedly fomenting insurrection, criminal association with a terrorist group and endangering state security.
Thursday’s ruling in the capital Dakar echoed an October verdict by a court in Ziguinchor, where Sonko serves as mayor. Last month, Senegal’s top court had disagreed with that regional court’s decision, but ruled that Sonko’s case should go back to the Dakar court.
Sonko, a popular figure among Senegal’s youth, now has until Dec. 26 to submit his candidacy for the upcoming election and secure the required sponsorships.
He has condemned the recent court cases as a plot by the government to exclude him from the presidential race.
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