Senegal's parliament postpones elections until December after confrontation with the opposition

Senegal's parliament voted late on Monday to postpone elections until December after opposition lawmakers who wanted to block the vote were expelled from the National Assembly. The vote came after President Macky Sall postponed the upcoming vote last week, a move critics condemned as an “institutional coup.”

Voters had been preparing to go to the polls on February 25 until Mr Sall – who has said he would not seek a third term – announced on Saturday that he was postponing the election. Experts and many opposition and civil society leaders called it a power grab by an unpopular president who is not confident his chosen successor would win.

But on Monday night, police officers wearing helmets and body armor ejected opposition members from the National Assembly, preventing them from voting after a marathon session debating the legality of Mr Sall's move. The bill subsequently passed by a vote of 105 to 1. In fact, Mr Sall will remain in office until the election is held on December 15, almost ten months after his presidency would have ended.

Anticipating an outbreak of protest, the government cut off internet access to mobile phones on Monday morning, banned motorcycles in the capital Dakar and sent hundreds of security forces onto the streets in a show of force. The large public protests expected for Monday afternoon never materialized; The streets of Dakar emptied as many residents chose to stay indoors.

Then Mr. Sall announced that he was postponing the electionshe said in his address to the nation that a dispute between the national assembly and the constitutional court had to be resolved before a vote could take place, but critics dismissed this as a “manufactured crisis.”

Isolated protests broke out across Dakar on Sunday but were quickly put down by security forces who used tear gas and arrested several demonstrators, including former Prime Minister Aminata Touré.

Military coups have toppled governments in several West African countries in recent years, while in others presidents have changed the constitution, jailed opponents and curtailed civil liberties in efforts to stay in power.

But Senegal, a country long considered an island of stability in West Africa, has a culture of respect for democracy and the law. Past attempts to manipulate the electoral system or block opposition candidates have often been met with resistance, especially among the country's youth.

On Sunday evening and Monday morning it looked like they were getting ready to come out in large numbers.

Protesters burned tires in the streets; security forces fired tear gas and arrested several lawmakers; and when children arrived at some schools in Dakar on Monday, they were turned away. Classes were cancelled.

Military police were stationed at roundabouts in Dakar, on main roads and at some French businesses attacked in previous demonstrations, including Total gas stations and Auchan supermarkets. Young people in Senegal, as in many former French colonies in Africa, often accuse France of pulling political strings and supporting the government.

The bill to extend Mr Sall's stay at the presidential palace was passed around 10pm on Monday, after opposition lawmakers occupied the stage in an attempt to block the vote. The elections were expected to be postponed until August, but Parliament postponed them until December to avoid them coinciding with the rainy season and a major annual pilgrimage in August, according to a lawmaker from Mr Sall's party who has assisted in drafting the bill. An opposition party joined the governing coalition to push through the bill.

The person who posed perhaps the biggest challenge, Ousmane Sonko, a relatively young politician popular for his rhetoric lambasting Senegalese elites and French neo-colonialism, has been in prison for months. He was convicted of corrupting a minor, defamation and incitement to rebellion, but was acquitted of rape. Rights groups say dozens of people have been killed and hundreds more injured in protests in support of him.

Mr. Sonko's allies in the National Assembly took to the floor on Monday evening, wearing sashes in the colors of the Senegalese flag, chanting: “Macky, resign.”

Nogaye Faye, a primary school teacher in Dakar, said Mr Sall had no respect for the Senegalese people. “He could have left with a lot of respect,” she said. “This is a shame for our democracy.”

Others said politicians are not worth risking their lives and livelihoods by protesting.

“We fought for Macky Sall in 2012,” said Ahmed Thiam, a baker, referring to the youth movement that brought Mr. Sall to power and prevented his predecessor from seeking a third term.

He said he wouldn't fight this time.

“I'm tired now,” he added. “I have two daughters and a son to feed. I mind my own business.”