Senegal police fire tear gas at protest against election postponement

Riot police fired tear gas outside Senegal’s National Assembly on Monday as crowds tried to gather to protest the postponement of the Feb. 25 presidential election, a move that caused anger and unrest over the weekend.
Lawmakers are set to debate a bill in parliament that would reschedule the election for Aug. 25 and extend President Macky Sall’s mandate until his successor is installed.
Senegal has never postponed a presidential election, and Sall’s announcement on Saturday pitched the West African nation into uncharted constitutional waters that threaten to further tarnish its reputation has a bastion of democratic stability in a region swept by coups.
The African Union on Monday joined a chorus of calls from regional bodies and Western governments for a new election date to be set as soon as possible.