Senegal expressed concern about the possible postponement of Guinea-Bissau's presidential election, scheduled for 6 December, and called on the transitional authorities to honour their commitments to restoring constitutional order and create the conditions needed to hold the vote.
In a statement issued on Thursday, 8 October, Senegal's Foreign Ministry said the transitional authorities in Bissau had cited legal, technical and institutional obstacles that could prevent the election from taking place on time. The ministry reaffirmed Dakar's commitment to the country's stability and the need to honour commitments agreed with the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS.
The ministry called for restrictions on political activity to be lifted and for dialogue between the authorities and political and social groups.
Guinea-Bissau's transitional prime minister, Ilidio Vieira, had attributed the inability to hold the election on schedule to the lack of suitable conditions. He said several parties had not completed the renewal of their leadership bodies and that the legal deadline for submitting candidacies had expired on 6 October.
