SENEGAL’S top election authority on Thursday voted down the government’s postponement of a presidential election scheduled for February 25 and its rescheduling for December, ruling that the moves were unconstitutional.

Senegal’s Constitutional Council cancelled the decree signed by President Macky Sall that postponed the election, according to a judgement approved by seven members of the body.

The National Assembly’s decision on February 5 to reschedule the vote for December 15 also was “contrary to the constitution,” the judgement said. 

The judgement said: “The constitutional council, noting the impossibility of organising the presidential election on the date initially planned, invites the competent authorities to hold it as soon as possible.”

President Sall did not immediately make any public comments in reaction to the ruling. 

The Senegalese leader had postponed the election hours before campaigns were to start, citing a dispute between the judiciary and the legislature over the final list of candidates as well as the reported dual nationality of some of the candidates.

The opposition accused Sall of plotting to hold on to power beyond the constitutionally allowed limit though the Senegalese leader denied this. 

He said he postponed the vote to prevent the country from plunging into “major difficulties” over the electoral dispute.