Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Lebanese Ministry of Health: Final toll from airstrike on car in Zebdine, Nabatieh District: Two martyrs, four injured
Egyptian media: Indirect talks between Hamas and Israelis begin in Sharm el-Sheikh.
AFP: France's new PM Sebastein Lecornu resigns just hours after unveiling cabinet.
Trump: Technical teams will meet again on Monday in Egypt to discuss and clarify the final details, and the first phase is scheduled to be completed this week
US President Donald Trump: Talks with Hamas have been very successful and are moving at a rapid pace
Local sources in Aleppo: Violent clashes erupt between the SDF and factions affiliated with the transitional authority on the Deir Hafer and Tishrin Dam fronts in the eastern Aleppo countryside
Israeli media: Interceptor missiles fired in an attempt to shoot down the drone
IOF Spokesperson: Sirens sounded amid suspected "enemy aircraft" infiltrating the Eilat area
Israeli media: "Israel" won the battle but lost the war strategically and politically
Israeli media: Ben Gurion Airport's airspace closed to air traffic following missile launch from Yemen

Senegalese presidential candidate calls for protests over court ruling

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 10 May 2023 08:52
  • 1 Shares
3 Min Read

The opposition figure accuses the government of intentionally vandalizing his presidential run.

  • x
  • Senegalese presidential candidate calls for protests over court ruling
     Opposition leader Ousmane Sonko speaking during a news conference in Dakar, Senegal March 8, 2021 (Reuters)

Senegalese opposition figure Ousmane Sonko slams a court ruling against him over a defamation case that might make him ineligible to run for president and describes it a "theatre play", calling on his supporters to protest the decision.

"What happened yesterday was a theatre play in which the roles were assigned," he said in a video address on Tuesday.

In March, the politician was sentenced to a two-month suspended sentence and a fine for defaming Tourism Minister Mame Mbaye Niang, while an appeals court on Monday increased the fine and extended his term to six months, threatening his plans to remain an eligible candidate for the presidential elections in 2024.

Read more: Senegal's president: Africa not breeding ground for new Cold War

"It in no way calls into question our plans," he said.

"I am now more than ever a candidate" for the February 2024 presidential election, he stressed. 

"Only God can prevent my candidacy... No human being can prevent it."

The opposition leader asked his supporters to "stay on your feet and mobilize."

"We have only one opponent, that of Senegal, (current President) Macky Sall," he said, calling them to turn up in large numbers in the Friday protests.

Read more: Turkish elections will decide the fate of the Syrian question: Report

Related News

Africa leads world tourism growth in early 2025, UN reports

Will the idea of pan-Africanism survive migration, economic crises?

The Friday protests were initially called for earlier by leading members of his coalition.

"The people have to mobilize to support Ousmane Sonko in this fight," Khalifa Sall, one of the Yewwi Askan Wi coalition leaders, told reporters.

The defamation case is not the only trial the opposition politician is up against.

Sonko, who came in third in the 2019 presidential elections against Sall, will also be facing an alleged rape and death threats trial later this month.

Read more: Kilicdaroglu calls on supporters to ensure victory in 1st voting round

He describes the trials as the government's attempts to sabotage his candidacy.

Denying the claims, Senegalese government spokesperson Abdou Karim Fofana said on Tuesday that "everyone is answerable before the law, whether an opponent, or in power, or a government minister."

Fofana added that the protests can take place with no reason to be banned "as long as there is no risk of disturbing the peace."

Political tensions in the African country have further increased after Sall refused to rule out rerunning for his third term, a move described by his opponents as unconstitutional.

Dethie Fall, another Yewwi Askan Wi coalition member, called for a demonstration on May 19 against a "campaign to liquidate Ousmane Sonko."

He said that not to take action "would be to let democracy be transformed into a monarchy and dictatorship by President Macky Sall, who has only one idea in mind, the third mandate."

  • Africa
  • Senegal
  • Ousmane Sonko

Most Read

Iraq at a crossroads: A new war front?

Iraq at a crossroads: A new war front?

  • West Asia
  • 30 Sep 2025
A Hamas fighter in combat fatigues stands before the ceremony for the handover of Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)

Hamas responds to Trump plan, backs Gaza withdrawal, exchange

  • Politics
  • 3 Oct 2025
Tucker Carlson speaks at a memorial for Charlie Kirk, Sunday, September 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (AP)

Tucker Carlson: Israeli officers gave orders on Iran inside Pentagon

  • Politics
  • 2 Oct 2025
ap

'Israel' pays influencers $7K per post to whitewash Gaza genocide

  • Politics
  • 1 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Hezbollah's representative in Iran, Sayyed Abdullah Safieddine, during an interview with Al Mayadeen which aired on October 6, 2025 (Al Mayadeen)
Politics

Tehran never interferes in Hezbollah decisions: Representative in Iran

Smoke billows over the Gaza Strip following an Israeli bombardment, as seen from southern Palestine, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP)
Politics

Indirect talks for a ceasefire in Gaza begin in Sharm El-Sheikh: Egypt

Fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) prepare to attend a military parad in Qamishli, northeastern Syria, Tuesday, August 12, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Security forces seal Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsoud, Ashrafieh districts

Amsterdam Captain Mohammed Ali Mohiuddin, who took part in the Global Sumud mission to Gaza, talks to Al Mayadeen on October 6, 2025 (Screengrab)
Politics

GSF captain says despite abuse, 'Israel weaker than spider's web'

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS