13, September 2024
Senegal’s president dissolves parliament to call a snap legislative election 0
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal dissolved the opposition-dominated parliament on Thursday, paving the way for a snap legislative election six months after he was voted in on an anti-establishment platform.
The new election has to take place within the next 90 days, according to the country’s constitution. Analysts say that Faye’s political party, PASTEF, has a high chance of securing a majority, given his popularity and his victory margin in the presidential election.
Faye, 44, won the vote in April to become Africa’s youngest elected leader, less that two weeks after he was released from prison.
His rise has reflected widespread frustration among Senegal’s youth with the country’s direction — a common sentiment across Africa, which has the world’s youngest population and a number of leaders accused of clinging to power for decades.
During the presidential campaign, he promised widespread reforms to improve the living standards of ordinary Senegalese, including fighting corruption, reviewing fishing permits for foreign companies, and securing a bigger share from the country’s natural resources for the population. He was elected with 54% of the votes.
But six months later, these pledges have yet to materialize.
Faye and Ousmane Sonko, the country’s prime minister and a popular opposition figure who helped catapult Faye to victory, have blamed the parliament. Their political party, PASTEF, does not hold a majority in the assembly, which Faye says has blocked him from executing the promised reforms.
In June, the Benno Bokk Yakaar coalition led by the former President Macky Sall cancelled a budgetary debate in a dispute over whether Sonko was required to issue his government’s policy roadmap, with Sonko arguing that he was not required to.
The tensions between the government and the parliament are “unprecedented,” Alioune Tine, founder of Afrikajom think tank, told The Associated Press. “It is all the result of the dysfunctions of the electoral process of the 2024 presidential election,” Tine said.
Faye’s decision to dissolve the national assembly does not come without risks, Gilles Yabi, political analyst and founder of WATHI think tank, told the AP.
The assembly has until the end of December to vote on the budget for next year, but new legislative elections might make it hard to meet this deadline.
The presidential election in April tested Senegal’s reputation as a stable democracy in West Africa, a region rocked in recent years by coups and attempted coups.
Both Faye and Sonko were released from prison less than two weeks before the vote following a political amnesty announced by outgoing President Macky Sall. Their arrests had sparked months of protests and concerns that Sall would seek a third term in office despite term limits. Rights groups said dozens were killed and about 1,000 were jailed.
Over 60% of Senegalese are under 25, and 90% work in informal jobs. Senegal has been hit by skyrocketing inflation in recent years, making it difficult for them to get by.
The country is also the major source of irregular migration to Europe, with thousands leaving every year on rickety, artisanal fishing boats in search of economic opportunities.
Thursday’s announcement came days after one such boat carrying almost 90 people capsized, killing at least 39.
Source: AP
13, September 2024
Football: PSG ready to try ‘legal forum’ after Mbappé refuses mediation in wage dispute 0
Paris Saint-Germain are ready to face Kylian Mbappé in a “legal forum” after the France forward refused an offer from the French football league’s governing body (LFP) to mediate on a wage dispute, the Ligue 1 club said on Thursday.
While PSG welcomed the LFP’s offer to mediate on Wednesday, the offer was refused by the France skipper.
French media reported the 25-year-old, who had a fallout with the club last year after refusing to sign a contract extension, is seeking around €55 million ($60.73 million).
The Commission have suggested that Mbappé either go to an employment tribunal or settle the matter with the club where he spent seven seasons and became their all-time top scorer before making the switch to Real Madrid in June.
“Having heard the arguments of the parties yesterday, the Commission repeatedly insisted upon mediation between Paris Saint-Germain and the player to find a compromise in light of PSG’s favourable arguments,” the club told Reuters.
“This mediation process has been refused by the player, contrary to the Commission’s recommendation.
“…in light of the limitations of the Commission’s legal scope to take a complete decision on this matter, the matter must now be contested in another legal forum, to which Paris St Germain is delighted to present all the facts over the coming months and year.”
Last year they reported Mbappé had agreed to forego loyalty bonuses if he left PSG on a free transfer.
In January, Mbappé had said he made an agreement with PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi which would “protect all parties and preserve the club’s serenity for the challenges ahead”.
“As a matter of law and fact, the player has made clear, repeated public and private commitments that must be respected, having been afforded unprecedented benefits by the club over seven years in Paris,” PSG added.
“The club looks forward to these being upheld in the proper forum, if the player seeks to pursue this incomprehensibly reputationally damaging matter further, in due course.”
Mbappé’s representatives were not immediately available for comment.
Source: Reuters