Senegal’s President Macky Sall has said he will not run for a third term in elections next year, ending years of uncertainty over his political future that helped fuel deadly protests in opposition last month.
In a speech broadcast live on his official Facebook page, Sall argued on Monday that Senegal’s constitution would have allowed his candidacy despite being elected for a second term in 2019.
“There have been many speculations and comments about my eventual candidacy in these elections,” Sall said in his speech. “The 2019 term was my second and last term.”
“My decision, after careful consideration … is not to stand as a candidate in the upcoming elections on February 25, 2024 … even though the constitution gives me the right,” he said.
Sall’s announcement is likely to calm fears of a democratic backsliding in Senegal.
Rumors that the 61-year-old leader would try to extend his stay in power have sparked bouts of unrest since 2021 that have killed dozens of people, shaking Senegal’s reputation for calm in a restive region.
Sall was first elected in 2012 to a seven-year term after running against then-President 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.
Sall was re-elected in 2019 to a five-year term, following a constitutional revision that established a two-term presidential limit. The president’s supporters have called for him to run again, arguing that his first term under the previous constitution should not count.
Sall has not named a political successor and has been shy of another term in recent months.
Some worried he would follow other regional leaders, including in Ivory Coast and Togo, who used constitutional changes as an excuse to restore his mandate and extend his power.
On the eve of Sall’s national speech, his fiercest critic, Ousmane Sonko, urged the public to “come out in droves” and oppose him.
Sonko, who is popular among Senegal’s disaffected youth, has painted Sall as a corrupt and would-be dictator. “It is up to the entire Senegalese people to stand up, to face him,” Sonko said on Sunday.
The opposition leader was sentenced on June 1 to two years in prison for “corrupting” a young beauty salon worker, sparking protests that left 16 dead according to the government, 24 according to Amnesty International and 30 seconds after Sonko’s match.
The conviction means he is ineligible to run in 2024.
Sonko says the case was staged to prevent him from running for office, a charge authorities deny. He has been blocked by the authorities at his home since May 28.
Sall, in his speech this Monday, asked the government to do everything possible to organize transparent elections in February.
“Senegal is more than me and is full of capable leaders for the development of the country,” said the incumbent, who added that he has tried to prioritize his country’s progress, “especially at a time of socio-economic difficulties and uncertainties.”
Regional leaders including Niger President Mohamed Bazoum, Guinea Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo and African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat praised Sall’s decision, with Bazoum saying that will ease tensions.
Aminata Touré, a former minister of Senegal, said it was the pro-democracy protests that forced the president to abandon his bid for re-election.
“He [Sall] he was the one who suggested through a referendum that there was a specific point in the constitution that no one could run for more than two consecutive terms, which is his case,” he told Al Jazeera.
“So he’s just enforcing the constitution. It’s not like he’s making a heroic move. He should have said that the moment he was re-elected in 2019. That would have saved the country all the turmoil and trouble we went through “.
He added: “I would like to congratulate all the democrats and young people who stood up to defend Senegalese democracy. Without this, President Macky Sall would have run… It is also a lesson for other African countries. The people must stand up when democracy is threatened.”
Supporters at Sall’s party headquarters in an upscale neighborhood of the capital, Dakar, were divided. Some applaud, while others cry.
“This is his choice and he is our leader. We accept his decision and we will support whoever he appoints,” said one supporter in tears.
Other Dakar residents said it was time for a change.
“I don’t want him [Sall] stop again We have already given him 12 years; it’s time for me to go and let someone else take care of it,” said Abdou Diagne, a 38-year-old car washer.
“If he says otherwise, it’s not a given that people will sit idly by,” he said. “In any case, we are praying for peace.”
