Senegal’s President Macky Sall has announced that he will not seek reelection for a third time in the coming election, putting an end to years of political ambiguity that last month’s deadly opposition rallies were sparked by.
Sall asserted on Monday that Senegal’s constitution would have permitted his candidacy despite having already been chosen for a second term in 2019 in a speech streamed live on his official Facebook page.
“There has been much speculation and commentary on my eventual candidature on this election,” Sall said in his speech. “The 2019 term was my second and last term.”
“My decision, carefully considered… is not to run as a candidate in the upcoming election on February 25, 2024… even though the constitution grants me the right,” he said.
Sall’s announcement will probably allay concerns about Senegal’s democratic backsliding.
Since 2021, rumours that the 61-year-old leader would attempt to prolong his rule have sparked periods of upheaval that have resulted in scores of fatalities, shattering Senegal’s image for tranquility in a volatile area.
After defeating then-President Abdoulaye Wade, whose intention to run for a contentious third term sparked violent street protests, Sall was first elected in 2012 for a seven-year term.
After a run-off between him and Sall, his former apprentice, Wade ultimately surrendered defeat.
Sall was re-elected in 2019 for a five-year term as a result of a constitutional amendment that established a two-term restriction for the office of president. Supporters of the president have demanded that he run again, claiming that his first term under the previous constitution shouldn’t be taken into consideration.
Sall has not named a political successor and has been vague recently about seeking reelection.
Some feared he might follow previous regional presidents who reset their mandates and increased his grasp on power by citing constitutional amendments, such as those in the Ivory Coast and Togo.
On the eve of Sall’s nationwide address, his fiercest critic, Ousmane Sonko, urged the public to “come out en masse” and oppose him.
Sonko, who is popular with Senegal’s disaffected youth, has painted Sall as a corrupt, would-be dictator. “It’s incumbent on all the Senegalese people to stand up, to face him,” Sonko said on Sunday.
The opposition leader was sentenced on June 1 to two years in jail for “corrupting” a young beauty-salon worker, sparking protests that led to 16 deaths according to the government, 24 according to Amnesty International and 30 according to Sonko’s party.
Sonko claims the case was fabricated to stop him from fleeing, a claim that is refuted by the authorities. Since May 28, he has been prevented from entering his home by the authorities.