The Senegalese president, Macky Sall, does not rule out the possibility of running for a third term. Although he has not revealed whether or not he will run for presidential elections in 2024, he has stated that he has the right to run for another term.
In an interview he gave to the French newspaper “L’Express”, Macky Sall addressed several current issues at the national, regional and international levels. These include the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the African Union and especially the recent clashes in Dakar during the trial for “defamation” between the Senegalese Minister of Tourism and Leisure Mame Mbaye Niang and the leader of the Pastef party, Ousmane Sonko (opposition).
A possible third mandate
Asked about a possible candidacy for the presidential election of 2024, the Senegalese head of state noted that the question “was no longer legal because the problem had been resolved. “Legally, the debate has been settled for a long time. I was elected in 2012 to a seven-year term. In 2016, I proposed the switch to a five-year term and suggested applying this reduction to my current term. Before submitting this choice to a referendum, we consulted the Constitutional Council. The latter considered that my first term of office was intangible and therefore beyond the reach of the reform. The legal question is therefore settled. Now, should I run for a third term or not? It is a political debate, I admit it,” said the Senegalese head of state.
In Senegal, the issue of the 3rd mandate has been an important part of the political debate for several months. In October 2022, civil society associations even wrote to President Macky Sall to discourage his silence on the subject and, therefore, invite him to respect his word. The initiative was called ” Jàmm a Gën 3ᵉ mandat ” which translates into French as “peace is better than a third mandate”.
“I have been asked this question dozens of times. In my camp, people have already positioned themselves to invest me as a candidate. I have not yet given my answer. I have an agenda, a job to do. When the time comes, I will make my position known, first to my supporters, then to the Senegalese people,” he said.
While the French newspaper insists by reminding him “In your autobiography published before the presidential election of 2019, Senegal at the heart, you said to run for your “second and final term”. Will you say like your predecessor Abdoulaye Wade, in 2012: “Ma waxoon waxeet” (I said it, I disclaim)?
…. We are in politics,” he says. But for the moment, I have not declared my candidacy. Don’t put words in my mouth. “I am not disclaiming. I gave an opinion that corresponded to my conviction at the time. This one can evolve and circumstances can lead me to change my position. We are in politics. But for the moment, I have not declared my candidacy. Do not put words in my mouth,” replied the Senegalese head of state to the French media.
