Publications
Partners
- Senegalese President Macky Sall won't seek a third term.
- He made the announcement on Monday, saying: "I have a code of honour and a sense of historical responsibility."
- His decision was described as a "deactivated time bomb".
Senegalese President Macky Sall, 61, will not be participating in the February 2024 general elections.
After he kept people guessing for a while, he announced on Monday, in a broadcast that around 250 000 people watched on Facebook: "My dear compatriots, my long and carefully considered decision is not to be a candidate in the next election of February 25, 2024. And this, even if the constitution gives me the right to do so."
"I have a code of honour and a sense of historical responsibility that compel me to stand by my dignity and my word."
After his announcement on Monday, The New York Times described the decision as a "deactivated time bomb".
When he came into power in 2012, Sall defeated his one-time ally, Abdoulaye Wade, who sought a third term against popular sentiment.
READ | Senegal's government blocks social media amid riots and repression
An Afrobarometer survey noted that "eight out of 10 citizens (79%) have campaigned in favour of limiting presidential terms to two, and have done so since 2013."
Sall became known as a reformist and reduced the presidential term limit from seven years to five years in 2016.
Last year, however, there was talk that Sall intended to seek a third term, sparking riots nationwide.
Political analyst Jeffery Smith added Senegal to "the list of African countries that have established a precedent for respecting term limits".
The Africa Centre for Strategic Studies, a political think tank, said Sall's decision not to participate in the elections should be credited to "people and civil society raising their respectful voices on this issue".
The decision could open the door for Ousmane Sonko, 48, from the opposition African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity, who enjoys relative popularity.
Before Sall's address, Sonko called for nationwide demonstrations.
But it won't be an easy road for him.
In early June, he was sentenced to two years in prison for "corrupting the youth", a lesser charge than rape.
His sentencing sparked nationwide unrest that resulted in more than 16 deaths and more than 500 arrests countrywide.
Sonko claimed, however, that the charges were engineered to keep him from running for the presidency because the conviction automatically disqualifies him.
A long career
Sall served as Prime Minister from July 2004 to June 2007 and as President of the National Assembly from June 2007 to November 2008.
He served as Mayor of Fatick from 2002 to 2008 and again from 2009 to 2012.
This was all under the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS). Wade fired him as president of the National Assembly in November 2008 after a disagreement.
He then created his own party, the Alliance for the Republic (APR).
After finishing second in the first round of the 2012 presidential elections, he gained the support of other opposition candidates and defeated Wade in the second round of voting on 25 March.
The News24 Africa Desk is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The stories produced through the Africa Desk and the opinions and statements that may be contained herein do not reflect those of the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
