Sall says his mandate as president will end April 2
DAKAR - Senegal President Macky Sall said on Thursday that April 2 will be the end of his mandate as president. He added, however, that it was unlikely the election of a new president will be completed before then.
Sall's announcement could assuage fears he was planning to extend his rule in the country, an issue that had contributed to a tense political climate, and sometimes violent protests in a country seen as one of the stable democracies in West Africa.
His announcement came after the country's Constitutional Council, the highest election authority, ruled last week that a 10-month postponement of the vote was unlawful. The election had initially been scheduled for 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," Sall said during an interview on national television.
Sall said however that he cannot issue a decree to hold the election before a national dialogue takes place.
The dialogue, which would include civil society groups, political parties and candidates, is set to begin on Monday and will likely finish by Tuesday, he said.
He said that candidates who had not been approved by the Constitutional Council would also be invited to the dialogue.
Prominent opposition figures including the firebrand jailed politician Ousmane
Sonko and Karim Wade, the son of former president Abdoulaye Wade, were excluded from the list of 19 candidates approved for the election. –