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☆ Africa’s Youngest President Takes Office, Promising ‘Systemic Change’
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Ruth Maclean | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Still reeling from a whirlwind campaign, young people in Senegal threw jackets over their worn election T-shirts on Tuesday to attend the inauguration of an opposition politician who went from political prisoner to president in less than three weeks. Their new leader, Bassirou Diomaye Faye — at 44, Africa’s youngest elected president — took the oath of office promising “systemic change,” and paying homage to the many people killed, injured, and imprisoned in the yearslong lead-up to the West African country’s election. “I will always keep in mind the heavy sacrifices made so as to never disappoint you,” Mr. Faye said, addressing a vast auditorium in which African heads of state and dignitaries sat at the front. From the back, hundreds of supporters of Mr. Faye and his powerful backer, the opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, shouted for joy. It was the culmination of months of drama, after the former president, Macky Sall, canceled the election with just weeks to go, citing irregularities at the constitutional council — and then, under intense domestic and international pressure, agreed to hold it after all.

Persons: Bassirou Diomaye Faye —, Africa’s, —, “, Mr, Faye, Ousmane Sonko, Macky Sall Organizations: West Locations: Senegal

☆ Senegal sets election date after protests sparked by delay
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Mitchell Mccluskey | Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Senegalese President Macky Sall has scheduled the country’s presidential election for March 24, the government said in a statement on Wednesday. “The President of the Republic informed the Council of Ministers that the date of the presidential election has been set for Sunday, March 24, 2024,” the statement read. However, Senegal’s Constitutional Council barred his attempts to delay the election, ruling that it must be held before April 2, when Sall’s second and final term expires. In a communique from the council of ministers, Ba “reaffirmed his support” for Sall’s decisions and “reiterated his thanks and gratitude” for the president. Nineteen candidates are registered to run in the election, according to the Constitutional Council.

Persons: Macky Sall, “, Sall, Amadou Ba, Sidiki Kaba, Ba “, ” Organizations: CNN, of Ministers, Sunday, Sall, Council, Interior, Constitutional Council Locations: Republic, West African

☆ Senegal’s Macky Sall vows to step down when official term ends but no new election date announced
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Reuters —Senegal President Macky Sall said on Thursday that April 2 will be the end of his mandate as president of the West African nation. His announcement came after the country’s Constitutional Council, the highest election authority, ruled last week that a 10-month postponement of the vote was unlawful. Sall said however that he cannot issue a decree to hold the election before a national dialogue takes place. He said that candidates who had not been approved by the Constitutional Council would also be invited to the dialogue. “If we find consensus, I will issue the decree immediately to set the date; if consensus is not found, I will refer the matter to the Constitutional Council,” Sall said.

Persons: Macky Sall, ” Sall, Sall, Ousmane Sonko, Karim Wade, Abdoulaye Wade, ”, Bassirou Diomaye Faye Organizations: Reuters, Constitutional, “, firebrand, Constitutional Council Locations: Senegal, West African

☆ US Urges Timely Election in Senegal, Welcomes Court Ruling Against Delay
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Kanishka SinghWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Friday welcomed a court decision that overturned the postponement of Senegal's presidential election to December, and called for a new "free and fair election" to be held as soon as possible. A bill that pushed back the Feb. 25 poll and plunged the country into electoral uncertainty was overturned on Thursday by Senegal's Constitutional Council. In his Friday statement accepting the council's ruling, Sall said he would initiate the consultations needed to organise the election as soon as possible. CONTEXTThe opposition and foreign powers had urged the authorities to comply with the constitutional council's ruling. Senegal had never previously delayed a presidential vote.

Persons: Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON, Macky Sall, Sall's, Sall, Kanishka Singh, Stephen Coates Organizations: Senegal's Constitutional Council, State Department Locations: United States, Senegal, Washington

CNN —Senegal’s outgoing president Macky Sall Friday said he would hold presidential elections “as soon as possible” one day after the West African country’s constitutional council ruled against his decision to postpone elections. “The head of state will conduct necessary consultations to hold the presidential election as soon as possible,” the statement added. Sall was under pressure to react once the top court Thursday rejected his bid to delay elections until the end of the year. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) urged all parties in Senegal to comply with the constitutional council’s decision. “No to presidential election postponement”, said another released opposition leader Aboubacar Djamil Sané of the PASTEF Party, who had been imprisoned for seven months.

Persons: CNN —, Macky Sall, “, ”, Sall, Babacar Gueye, Thursday’s, Pierre Goudiaby Atépa, Ousmane Sonko, ” Sonko, Cheikh Oumar Diagne, Diagne, Aboubacar Djamil Organizations: CNN, Constitutional Council, French, RFI, West African States, “, Senegalese, Truth, PASTEF Party Locations: Republic, Senegalese, Senegal

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegal’s top election authority on Thursday voided the president's postponement of a presidential election scheduled for Feb. 25 and its rescheduling for December, ruling that moves were unconstitutional. Senegal's Constitutional Council cancelled the decree signed by President Macky Sall that postponed the election, according to a judgement approved by seven members of the body, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press. The National Assembly's move on Feb. 5 to reschedule the vote for Dec. 14 also was “contrary to the constitution,” the judgement saidCopyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Persons: —, Macky Sall Organizations: Senegal's Constitutional, The Associated Press, Associated Press Locations: DAKAR, Senegal, Senegal's

☆ Senegal was Africa’s poster child for democracy. Where did it all go wrong?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Stephanie Busari | Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —In a region plagued by volatility, Senegal had long been praised for its political stability. Senegal remains an outlier as the sole mainland West African country never to have experienced a military coup. Nobody wants democracy in Senegal to degenerate,” Ojewale said. “Senegal is the most enduring democracy in West Africa. Sonko’s opposition PASTEF Party, however, criticized the postponement of the election, describing it as “a serious threat” to Senegal’s democracy.

Persons: Macky Sall, Sall, Oluwole, ” Ojewale, Ojewale, “, Amadou Barry, ”, Sall’s, Ousmane Sonko, Karim Wade, Amadou Ba, Idrissa Seck, Sonko, Wade, Abdoulaye Wade, Malick Gackou, Aminata, Babacar, PASTEF’s Yassine Organizations: CNN, Sall, Institute of Security Studies, Ministry of Communications, Telecommunications, Amnesty, ”, Democracy, Constitutional, PASTEF Party, Senegalese, Amnesty International, Economic, West African States, French Foreign Ministry, United Nations Locations: Senegal, West Africa, West, Dakar, France, “ Senegal, ” Dakar, Senegal’s, ” France

☆ Senegal’s President Calls Off a National Election. His Critics Call It a Coup.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-03 | by ( Ruth Maclean | Mady Camara | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Senegal’s president has canceled the election for his replacement three weeks before voting was set to take place, saying that a dispute between the legislative and judicial arms of government over accusations of corruption needed to be resolved first. Speaking on Saturday afternoon from the presidential palace in Dakar, Senegal’s capital, his words live-streamed on his social media platforms, President Macky Sall said that the dispute between the West African country’s national assembly and its constitutional court had reached a crisis point, and that he was repealing the decree convening the electoral body, effectively postponing elections. But his opponents said he was essentially carrying out a coup d’état, and accused him of treason. “For the first time in its history, Senegal has just suffered a coup d’état,” Ousmane Diallo, a researcher with Amnesty International, posted on X. After the country’s constitutional council published lists of approved candidates for the election, some of them were found to have been approved despite holding dual nationality, something presidential candidates are not allowed in Senegal.

Persons: Macky Sall, “, ” Ousmane Diallo Organizations: West African, Amnesty International Locations: Dakar, Senegal’s, Senegal

☆ Top Council Rejects Much of France’s Tough Immigration Law
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Aurelien Breeden | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

France’s Constitutional Council struck down large chunks of a tough new immigration law on Thursday, in a widely expected ruling that said many measures that were added by President Emmanuel Macron’s government under right-wing pressure were unlawful. The nine-member council, which reviews legislation to ensure that it conforms to the Constitution, said in a statement that it had partially or completely struck down over a third of the 86 articles in the law, which was passed in December — including restrictions on foreigners’ access to government subsidies, limitations on the reunification of migrant families and the creation of yearly immigration quotas set by Parliament. Overhauling France’s immigration rules was one of Mr. Macron’s second-term priorities, and under ordinary circumstances, the council’s decision could be seen as a stinging rebuke. The French leader had called the new law a necessary “shield” to deal with the pressure of migrants illegally entering the country. But because of the way the law came to pass and the nature of the measures that were rejected, Thursday’s ruling may paradoxically give Mr. Macron some relief.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron’s, Macron’s, Thursday’s Organizations: France’s Constitutional Locations: France’s

☆ Top French Court Rules Large Parts of New Immigration Law Go Against Constitution
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

By Tassilo HummelPARIS (Reuters) - Parts of a contested new French immigration law go against the constitution and must be scrapped, France's Constitutional Council said on Thursday. The council, a body that validates the constitutionality of laws, annulled around half of the articles in the law, which was passed in December, including restrictions on family reunifications and student residency permits, and making residing in France illegally a crime. Most of the articles were scrapped for procedural reasons. (Reporting by Tassilo Hummel; Editing by Alison Williams and Richard Lough)

Persons: Tassilo Hummel PARIS, Tassilo Hummel, Alison Williams, Richard Lough Organizations: Constitutional Locations: France

The unrest in France is also likely tied to how some French people feel about the country’s political atmosphere more broadly. The National Rally also garnered the highest percentage support among France’s political parties in a mid-December poll. In 2022, nearly half of France’s immigrant population had been born in Africa, with the top source countries being Algeria and Morocco, according to INSEE. The French president said in December that the immigration law is “what the French wanted.” And at least one recent poll appears to echo this. And nearly three-quarters (73%) thought the law was inspired by the ideas of the National Rally party.

Persons: Emmanuel Macron, Pen, –, Élisabeth Borne, Le Pen’s, Macron –, “, Macron Organizations: Republicans, National, Constitutional, Ministry, People, AP, Le, National Institute of Statistics, Economic Studies, National Rally Locations: France, Europe, Germany, Western Europe, Africa, Algeria, Morocco, North Africa

☆ Chile's conservative assembly begins drafting new constitution
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Chile’s President Gabriel Boric sings the national anthem during the first session to draft a new constitution, in Santiago, Chile, June 7, 2023. REUTERS/Ivan AlvaradoSANTIAGO, June 7 (Reuters) - A new Constitutional Council dominated by conservative parties in charge of drafting Chile's new constitution began its official duties on Wednesday, in the second attempt to replace the current text that dates back to the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship. The new process will be shorter and more limited than the previous one, which was marred by controversies surrounding extreme proposals and assembly members. A small number of protesters from opposing political views amassed outside the National Congress building in Santiago. Some oppose Boric and the need for a new constitution while others oppose the new right-wing council.

Persons: Gabriel Boric, Ivan Alvarado SANTIAGO, Augusto Pinochet, it's, Boric, Natalia Ramos, Alexander Villegas, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, Constitutional Council, National Congress, Thomson Locations: Santiago , Chile, Santiago

☆ Chile Elects Right-Wing Council to Draft New Constitution
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Ryan Dubé | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

President Gabriel Boric preparing to cast his vote for the constitutional council over the weekend. Photo: Andres Poblete/Associated PressChilean stocks gained and the peso strengthened on Monday after voters elected a right-wing council that is expected to draft a constitution that will maintain the country’s market-based economic model. The results were a major blow to leftist President Gabriel Boric by voters scared off by an earlier left-wing constituent assembly that proposed a sweeping overhaul to Chile’s political and economic system. Mr. Boric’s popularity has also declined over his government’s handling of crime, immigration and a weak economy. Chile’s economy is expected to contract 1% this year, the only South American nation projected to post an economic decline, according to the International Monetary Fund.

"This is the right's best chance for people to pick a Pinochet constitution without Pinochet's signature," said Patricio Navia a political scientist at New York University. "The political climate in Chile isn't the same as in 2019 or 2020," said political analyst Cristobal Bellolio. An estimated 3,200 Chileans were murdered and another 28,000 tortured by the state during Pinochet's rule. Many of the victims were affiliated with the socialist government of Salvador Allende, who was deposed in a 1973 coup. "The issue is that if it's more right then Pinochet's constitution, people are going to reject it," Navia added, who added the loss for Boric left the leader who once promised to bury Chile's market-led model sorely wounded.

☆ Chile right-wing parties win majority in vote to draft new constitution
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] A citizen casts their vote at a polling station during elections for a new assembly to draft constitution, at the Estadio Nacional, in Santiago, Chile April 7, 2023. REUTERS/Ivan AlvaradoSANTIAGO, May 7 (Reuters) - Chilean right-wing parties won a majority of votes on Sunday to elect advisers to draft a new constitution, marking a sharp shift from a progressive majority that drafted a failed first constitutional rewrite. With 95.13% of ballots tallied, Chile's Republican Party, led by former conservative firebrand presidential candidate Jose Antonio Kast, secured nearly 35% of the vote. A separate coalition of traditional right-wing parties gained just over 20% of the vote, while President Gabriel Boric's left-wing coalition garnered about 29%. "I want to invite the Republican Party, that's won an unquestionable majority, to not make the same mistakes we made," Boric said.

☆ Chile's voters set to take big step in constitution redraft 2.0
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Natalia A. Ramos Miranda | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Rodrigo GarridoSANTIAGO, May 5 (Reuters) - Chileans will vote to elect 50 constitutional advisers on Sunday, a major step towards rewriting the constitution, after voters overwhelmingly rejected a first attempt in a plebiscite last September to replace the dictatorship-era charter. The so-called Constitutional Council that voters are set to elect will work as of June on the new constitution, based on a preliminary draft prepared by a commission of 24 experts that Congress appointed in March. "I voted to approve (in September), I wanted a new constitution and to get rid of the dictatorship's constitution, but now I'm not really interested." He stressed that traditional political forces are now more in control of the process, unlike the failed first attempt. It seems "likely that no single bloc or party will win enough seats to independently steer the process without compromise," Watson said.

☆ France's Constitutional Council rejects bid for pension referendum
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A view shows French national flags on the Constitutional Council (Conseil Constitutionnel) before its decision on a request to hold a citizens' referendum (RIP - Referendum d'initiative partagee) about the future of France's pension system, in Paris, France, May 3, 2023. REUTERS/Christian HartmannPARIS, May 3 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron's deeply unpopular pension law passed another hurdle on Wednesday when the Constitutional Council rejected a second bid by political opponents to hold a referendum on capping the retirement age at 62. Since Macron bypassed parliament, opposition lawmakers have turned to the Constitutional Council twice in an attempt to derail the reform, seeking its approval on each occasion for a referendum on the retirement age. But the pension system is a cornerstone of France's cherished social protection model and labour unions say the money can be found elsewhere, including by taxing the rich more heavily. Nonetheless, French pension payments as a share of pre-retirement earnings are substantially higher than elsewhere, OECD figures show.

☆ France pension protests explained: France is still mad -- but can the protests last?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Joseph Ataman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

In 1995, weeks-long mass protests forced the government of the day to abandon plans to reform public sector pensions. For many in France, the pensions system, as with social support more generally, is viewed as the bedrock of the state’s responsibilities and relationship with its citizens. Nathan Laine/Bloomberg/Getty ImagesIn contrast, during the Yellow Vest protests, started in opposition to hikes in fuel prices, violence gradually soured public support. That these pensions protests continue to hold such popular goodwill is an ominous sign for Macron’s future plans. The size and violence of pensions protests spiked when Macron forced the legislation past the country’s lower legislative house without a vote.

☆ Fake volunteers hope to disrupt Paris Olympics
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Layli Foroudi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

PARIS, April 26 (Reuters) - An anti-Olympics collective is aiming to disrupt next year's Paris Games by recruiting fake volunteers. Saccage and other critics of the Paris Olympics say the event will negatively impact the environment and benefit big businesses and elites, rather than locals. Paris 2024 organisers did not immediately respond to a request for comment but have said in the past that they would organise "popular and spectacular Games" that will bring in millions of visitors. The Olympics organisers are looking to recruit 45,000 volunteers. Paris organisers said they would take the time to ensure the "sincerity" of candidates and that volunteers would have a background check.

☆ French police cleared to use drones for crowd monitoring
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] French gendarmes stand in position during a demonstration in front of the Paris City Hall after French government's pension reform received the Constitutional Council's green light and can now be signed into law and enter into force swiftly, in Paris, France, April 14, 2023. REUTERS/Stephane MahePARIS, April 21 (Reuters) - French police is allowed from Friday to use drones equipped with cameras for a wide range of tasks including crowd monitoring and border control, following the publication of a decree in the Official Journal on Thursday. This comes just over a year before the Paris 2024 Olympics and at a time when opposition to President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform has triggered huge protests that at times turned violent. The drones can also be used for the prevention of terrorist acts, the regulation of transport flows, border surveillance, and rescuing people, the decree said. The decree details and implements in practice a security law voted by parliament last year.

☆ French President Macron enacts pension overhaul despite weeks of protests and strikes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailFrench President Macron enacts pension overhaul despite weeks of protests and strikesFrench President Emmanuel Macron enacts a pension overhaul after France's Constitutional Council validated the draft law on Friday. CNBC's Charlotte Reed reports.

☆ France's Macron signs contested pension bill into law
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PARIS, April 15 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron has signed into law a bill to raise the state pension age that sparked mass protests, the government's official journal showed on Saturday. The proclamation of the law came after France's Constitutional Council on Friday approved the main pension-age increase and follows months of demonstrations against the plan, which the government forced through parliament without a final vote. Protesters gather in front of the Paris City Hall after the Constitutional Council (Conseil Constitutionnel) approved most of the French government's pension reform, in Paris, France, April 14, 2023. Francois Ruffin, a lawmaker from the left-wing LFI party, on Twitter accused the government of proclaiming the pension law "like thieves in the night". Opposition parties have tabled another bid for a citizens' referendum on the reform after the Constitutional Council on Friday rejected a first such proposal.

☆ Macron Wins Approval to Raise France’s Retirement Age
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Noemie Bisserbe | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

French President Emmanuel Macron’s pension-overhaul plans have left his parliamentary ranks in disarray. PARIS—President Emmanuel Macron ’s plan to raise the country’s retirement age cleared the final hurdle to becoming law with the approval of France’s Constitutional Council, providing relief to his embattled government after a monthslong battle with unions and millions of protesters. The court’s nine judges ruled that Mr. Macron’s government didn’t violate the constitution in passing the legislation in March.

Unions - and protesters - will pressure Macron not to promulgate the law, and try to find another way out. The Council's decision is expected late afternoon or early evening, likely after 1600 GMT. It could strike down the bill, but this is something it has rarely done and constitutional experts and government sources see this as unlikely. Political observers say the widespread discontent over the government's reform could have longer-term repercussions, including a possible boost for the far right. "I'm not that optimistic about the Constitutional Council's decision," far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who opposes the pension legislation, said earlier this week.

Paris CNN —France’s top court on Friday approved the government’s unpopular plans to raise the age of retirement by two years to 64, a huge win for President Emmanuel Macron in the face of mass protests across the country. The Constitutional Council – akin to the US Supreme Court – struck down some elements of the new law, but the most controversial element remains: the gradual upping of the retirement age. Sweeping protests have paralyzed major services across France year this year over Macron’s proposed changes to the pension system. Ahead of the ruling, heightened security was in place in Paris amid expectations of spontaneous protests. With regular, incremental increases, by 2030 the retirement age will have reached 64.

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