by Diadie Ba
DAKAR (Reuters) – Senegalese President Macky Sall said on Thursday his term as head of the country would end on April 2, but added it was unlikely the presidential election could be held in time for the name of his successor is known before that date.
This announcement, made during an interview on national television, could dispel fears about Macky Sall’s potential desire to remain in power despite and beyond the limitation of presidential mandates.
It comes after the Constitutional Council ruled last week that a decree by Macky Sall leading to a ten-month postponement of the presidential election, initially scheduled for February 25, was illegal.
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By announcing in early February the postponement of the vote, the head of state made the political climate even more tense and provoked sometimes violent demonstrations across the West African country, considered one of the stable democracies in a region marked by putsches in recent years.
“April 2, 2024 will be the last day of my mandate at the head of the country,” Macky Sall said Thursday evening. “I would like this debate to be clearly resolved.”
However, he added that he could not issue a decree for the holding of the presidential election before a national dialogue takes place. This, he specified, must bring together from Monday, probably for two days, civil society groups, political parties and electoral candidates.
Politicians excluded by the Constitutional Council from the list of candidates for the presidential election will be invited to take part in this dialogue, declared Macky Sall. Opposition figures, such as Ousmane Sonko, who was imprisoned, and the son of former president Abdoulaye Wade, Karim Wade, were excluded from the official list of candidates.
“If a consensus is found, I will immediately publish a decree to set the date (of the election),” assured Macky Sall, adding that, otherwise, he would refer the matter to the Constitutional Council.
He said he thinks this process may not end before April 2, in which case “there will be no gap.” “We cannot leave a country without a president,” he declared.
Macky Sall promised last week that he would respect the request of the Constitutional Council, which called for the organization of the presidential election as soon as possible.
(Reporting by Felix Bate and Diadie Ba; French version Jean Terzian)
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