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Local elections, which were due to be held in June 2019, will ultimately not take place until early 2022.
The National Assembly adopted on April 2, the bill authorizing the postponement and the holding of the local elections no later than January 31, 2022 as well as the extension of the mandate of departmental and municipal councilors.
The Minister of the Interior, Antoine Felix Diome, initially gave reasons in the explanatory memorandum for the postponement of the local elections to March 2021, referring in particular to the evaluation of the electoral process.
In regards to the most recent postponement, the Minister stated that the health crisis related to the coronavirus disease forced the commission's work to be suspended for more than six months, delaying the discussions on the audit and evaluation of the electoral register, which are considered prerequisites for the holding of any election.
Meanwhile, the opposition believes that the government is deliberately delaying the presidential election until 2024 as the mandate of departmental and municipal councilors - elected in the last local elections in 2014 - is once again extended.
