Macky Sall, Senegal’s president, has stated that he will leave office when his term ends on April 2, even though his administration has yet to announce a new date for the next presidential election.
He did, however, state that the election of a new president was unlikely to be concluded before then.
He announced his decision following the Constitutional Council’s ruling last week, which concluded that the 10-month election delay was unlawful. Originally, the election was scheduled on February 25.
“April 2, 2024, will be the end of my term at the head of the country, the end of my binding relationship with the Senegalese people as president of the republic. I would like this debate to be clearly settled.
“If we find consensus, I will issue the decree immediately to set the date; if consensus is not found, I will refer the matter to the Constitutional Council.
“What is certain is that there will be no void. We cannot leave a country without a president.”
“I want to make the dichotomy clearly between the election and the end of the mandate,” he said, adding that he will follow the guidance of the Constitutional Council on the matter.
However, Sall mentioned that he cannot issue an order for the election to occur before engaging in a national dialogue.
He stated that the dialogue would also include candidates who had not received the Constitutional Council’s approval.