A court in Senegal has ordered the reinstatement of jailed opposition leader Ousmane Sonko on the electoral roll.
The verdict paves way for the 49 year- old to contest next year’s presidential election in the West African country.
In June, Sonko’s name was struck off Senegal’s electoral roll after being sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. He is accused of morally corrupting a young person and acquitted of rape.
In ordering Sonko’s reinstatement, the judge in the capital Dakar confirmed a ruling in October by a court in Ziguinchor, the southern city where Sonko is mayor.
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Sonko’s lawyer Cire Cledor Ly has welcomed the ruling.
“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,” he said.
Another lawyer for the firebrand opposition leader, Bamba Cisse, told journalists that the court’s decision would potentially enable Sonko to participate in Senegal’s February 2024 presidential election.
A lawyer for the state said the government would appeal.
Sonko has been at the centre of a stand-off with the state that has lasted more than two years and sparked several episodes of deadly unrest.
Last month, the West African nation’s top court had disagreed with that regional court ruling. Sonko has faced a flurry of court cases over the past two years for charges including libel and rape, which he denies.
He came third in Senegal’s 2019 presidential election, and he is seen as a main opposition challenger in the race to succeed President Macky Sall.
The cases against him have triggered deadly violence in the West African nation.
Source: Africafeeds.com
