Senegal politicians arrested as police fire tear gas

Alex Duval Smith

BBC Africa, Dakar

Three opposition politicians in Senegal have been arrested and police have fired tear gas to prevent a demonstration against a controversial government bill.
Protesters gathered early this morning near parliament in the capital, Dakar.
Some said they wanted to prevent MPs from attending a controversial voting session at the national assembly.
The politicians arrested are Idrissa Seck, Malik Gakou and Thierno Bokoum.
Judging from television coverage from parliament, the sitting has started and the house is well attended.
The proposed new electoral law increases the number of signatures candidates need to collect before standing in presidential elections.
The opposition says the bill is an attempt by President Macky Sall to limit and control competition in the next election in 2019.
But the government says it wants to streamline the electoral system.
News website Senenews.com has tweeted a link to a live video of the action on the streets: