Senegalese President Macky Sall announced Monday that he will not seek a third term in office next year.Sall’s uncertain political future helped fan the flames of deadly unrest after left-wing opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was criminally convicted, barring him from seeking the nation’s highest office in Africa western“I had said that the 2019 term was my last term,” Sall said on Monday. “Senegal is more than me, it is full of people capable of taking Senegal to the next level.”
Senegalese President Macky Sall said late Monday that he will not run for a third term in next year’s elections, ending years of uncertainty over his political future that had helped fuel deadly protests in the opposition last month.
Top opposition leader Ousmane Sonko had already called for more demonstrations around the West African country should Sall announce his intention to run again in February.
In a speech broadcast live on his official Facebook page, Sall argued that Senegal’s constitution would have allowed his candidacy despite being elected for a second term in 2019.
POLITICAL VIOLENCE IS ON THE RISE IN SENEGAL, THREATENING STABILITY, WITH THE NATION CLOSING CONSULATES OVERSEAS
“Even if I have the right, I felt that my duty is not to contribute to destroying what I have built for this country,” said Sall. “I had said that the 2019 term was my last term. I know this decision will surprise everyone who is friends with me. Senegal is more than me, it is full of people capable of taking Senegal to the Next Level.”
Sonko had long publicly called on the president to withdraw from the 2024 election, accusing Sall’s government of filing court cases against the opposition leader in an effort to sideline the competition ahead of the February election.
There have been widespread fears that Sall’s declaration about his political future could spark new waves of unrest across the West African nation, long seen as a bastion of stability in a politically turbulent region.
Senegalese President Macky Sall announced on Monday that he will not seek re-election. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly, pool, file)
A wave of deadly protests already erupted last month over a court case in which Sonko was sentenced to two years in prison after being convicted of corrupting youths. The government says at least 16 people died in the unrest, while the opposition put the highest figure at 19.
Sall became Senegal’s president in 2012 after toppling an incumbent, Abdoulaye Wade, whose controversial decision to seek a third term sparked violent street demonstrations. Wade finally conceded defeat after a runoff between himself and Sall, his former protégé.
VIOLENCE IN SENEGAL THREATS THE STABILITY OF THE COUNTRY, AS EXPERTS ASK THE GOVERNMENT TO INSTALL CALM
In 2016, Sall amended Senegal’s Constitution to establish a two-term presidential limit. His supporters argued that his first term under the previous constitution should not count. As recently as this past weekend, Sall was heard saying that the country’s Constitutional Council would allow his candidacy, fueling speculation that he would announce his candidacy for a third term.
In his speech on Monday, Sall asked the government to do everything possible to organize transparent elections in February. It was not immediately clear who could run on the ticket of Sall’s political party.
Some African presidents have already tried to stay in power in recent years by first amending their constitutions, including Ivory Coast’s Alassane Ouattara, who won a third term in 2020. Another, Alpha Conde of Guinea, also won a third term that same year, but he didn’t stay long: a military coup removed him from power less than a year later.
Bolle Fall, who works as a guard in the Plateau district of Dakar, near the presidency, said he hoped Sall would win a third term.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“What I want is to let it be,” Fall said, expressing concern about recent opposition protests that have shut down local businesses for days at a time. Influencing the youth to “attack people, break shops, prevent people from working, is not good… we have to be civilized”, he added.
