After a court meeting on Thursday, a judge decided that the imprisoned Senegalese leader, Ousmane Sonko, should be put back on the list of people eligible to vote.
He was accused of behaving badly towards someone under 21, but he said it wasn’t true and that the accusation was made for political reasons.
Mr Sonko’s lawyers stated that the judge’s decision on Thursday allowed him to participate in the upcoming presidential elections in February. But, it has not been confirmed.
In a statement released on Friday, lawyers for the government said they will challenge the decision.
The court hearing happened in Ziguinchor, a city in the south where Mr Sonko is both on the voters’ list and serves as the mayor.
The punishment he received for “influencing young people in a wrong way” caused angry demonstrations in a very peaceful country in Africa. Officials reported that at least 16 people lost their lives and hundreds of others were injured.
In the end of July, the leader of the opposing group was put in jail for new accusations: urging for a rebellion, being involved in a harmful plan with a group of terrorists, and putting the safety of the country at risk.
Mr Sonko, who used to work for the government, became well-known during the presidential election in 2019. He finished in third place.