The Economic Community of West African States has expressed concern over the postponement of the Senegal presidential election.

The President of Senegal, Macky Sall, on Saturday, announced the indefinite postponement of a presidential election scheduled for February 25, just hours before official campaigning was due to start.

In an address to the nation, Sall said he signed a decree abolishing a previous measure that set the date, because lawmakers were investigating two Constitutional Council judges whose integrity in the election process has been questioned.

“I will begin an open national dialogue to bring together the conditions for a free, transparent, and inclusive election,” Sall added, without giving a new date.

It is the first time a Senegalese presidential election has been postponed. The decision comes following a dispute between the National Assembly and the Constitutional Court over the rejection of candidates.

A communique issued by ECOWAS on Sunday morning urged the relevant authorities in the West African country to urgently choose a new date for the postponed elections.

The communique read, “The Commission of the Economic Community of West African States takes note of the decision that the Senegalese authorities have taken to postpone the presidential elections scheduled to take place on 25 February 2024.