President Macky speaks on running for third term

VOICE AIR MEDIA News UPDATE

Senegal’s President Macky Sall announced that he won’t seek re-election in a speech on national television on Monday evening.

Senegalese President Macky Sall during his address to the nation on television, July 3, 2023, in Dakar
Senegalese President Macky Sall during his address to the nation on television, July 3, 2023, in Dakar © Macky Sall’s Facebook page

“My dear fellow citizens, my decision after long consideration, is to not be a candidate in the election on February 25, 2024,” Sall said in his televised address.

The announcement ends months of uncertainty and tension over whether he would seek to remain in power in the West African nation.

“Senegal is more than me, and is full of capable leaders for the country’s development,” he said.

He vowed to seek to prioritise his country’s progress, “in particular at a time of social-economic difficulties and uncertainties.”

Macky Sall, 61, was first elected in 2012 for a seven-year term.

The election was followed by a constitutional revision of the presidential tenure, and Sall was then elected again in 2019 for a five-year term.

Most legal experts had said a third term would, therefore, be unconstitutional.