Ousmane Sonko, the leader of the opposition, has been ordered by a Senegalese court to be added back to the electoral roll. This decision could allow Sonko to run for president in February, according to his attorney, Cire Cledor Ly, who announced on Thursday.
In the last two years, Sonko has been involved in numerous court proceedings regarding allegations of rape and libel, both of which he disputes. The cases against him have triggered deadly violence in the West African nation.
The 49-year-old was cleared of rape in June but sentenced to a two-year jail term after a court found him guilty of an offence described in the penal code as immoral behaviour towards individuals younger than 21.
He was arrested in July for insurrection and was struck off the electoral roll, a decision that potentially ruled him out of the February vote.
The court in the capital, Dakar, overturned that decision on Thursday, Ly told reporters outside the court. Sonko, who remains in jail, has previously gone on a hunger strike during his imprisonment.
The politician, who came in third in Senegal’s 2019 presidential election, is popular with the youth. He is seen as the main opposition challenger in the race to succeed President Macky Sall, who announced in July that he would not run for office next year.
“We have confidence in the justice system. This decision doesn’t surprise us. We were just afraid that they might use force against us. But this country won’t go anywhere if justice doesn’t work,” Sonko said.
Another lawyer for the firebrand opposition leader, Bamba Cisse, told journalists that the court’s decision would potentially enable Sonko to participate in the February 2024 presidential election.
A lawyer for the state said the government would appeal.
