Democracy is under attack in Senegal

“Macky SallMPMPECOWAS, Dictator!” chanted protesters on February 5th in Dakar, Senegal’s capital, as they dodged police officers firing tear gas and raged at their president. By late that evening it was getting harder to disagree. Riot police in masks and helmets marched into the National Assembly and dragged out about 30 opposition s. “It’s a coup d’état against the people,” shouted one before he was pulled away. They had been occupying the speaker’s platform in protest against a planned vote, held without any debate, to delay by almost ten months the presidential election scheduled for February 25th. Moments later the vote passed. Mr Sall will now stay in office far beyond his term, which was supposed to end on April 2nd.Senegal has been seen as an African star: a pillar of stability, democracy and economic growth in west Africa. Unlike many other countries in the region, it has avoided civil wars and coups, and has had a series of largely peaceful and democratic transitions of power. Never before has it delayed a presidential election. And in a region hit by a spate of coups, Mr Sall has played a leading role in the attempts by , the regional bloc, to push juntas back towards democracy. Yet his message has been undermined by a sharp decline in freedom in Senegal itself. Now its democracy is in grave danger.