Poll protests spread

Violent protests against the postponement of Senegal’s presidential elections have spread across the country, with the first fatality reported. BBC News reports that a student died in clashes with police on Friday in the northern city of Saint-Louis. In the capital Dakar, security forces fired tear gas to disperse the crowds. As previously reported in Legalbrief Today, the 25 February elections were last week delayed until 15 December, with President Macky Sall denying that he is clinging on to power. Sall had earlier called off the polls indefinitely, arguing this was needed to resolve a dispute over the eligibility of presidential candidates. Lawmakers later extended his mandate by 10 months. West Africa's regional bloc Ecowas on Tuesday pleaded for Senegal's political class to ‘take steps urgently to restore the electoral calendar’ in line with the Constitution.