Senegal’s President Backs Out Of Third Term Bid

Senegal’s President Macky Sall has ruled out seeking re-election in 2024, ending widespread speculation that he would run for a third term.

He said in a televised address that the 2019 term was his second and last term,”

In his address late on Monday, Mr Sall, 61, said Senegal is more than him, and is full of capable leaders for the country’s development,”

Rumours he would try to extend his grip on power have fueled unrest several times since 2021, with dozens killed.

The opposition had called for fresh protests if Mr Sall decided to run again – which most legal experts say would have violated the constitution.

Senegal was rocked by deadly violence after Ousmane Sonko’s court verdict in June.

Mr Sall who has been in office since 2012, he changed the constitution  in 2026, to set a two-term presidential limit.

But his supporters argued he could still run for a third term as his first was under the previous constitution.

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Among the contenders to succeed Sall is Idrissa Seck, the runner up in Senegal’s 2019 election who stepped down from a Government role in April.

Seck is “a creature of the center-right and appeals to business,” Mr Conradie said.

Two other potential candidates – former Dakar mayor Khalifa Sall, and Karim Wade, the son of a former president – could regain eligibility to stand in 2024 after a political commission that was appointed by Mr Sall said it was in favour of changing the electoral law.

Mr Wade and Mr Sall were disqualified from the 2019 vote after they were respectively handed jail sentences for embezzlement and corruption.

Mr Sall came to power in 2012, riding a wave of popular discontent after then-president Abdoulaye Wade sought an unconstitutional third term.

“I will continue to devote all my strength to defend the constitutional institutions of the republic, respect for court decisions, territorial integrity, protection of people and property,”

Mr Sall said. “I will stay by your side, listening to you, at the service of the republic and the nation.” – Bloomberg