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Senegal's Opposition Demonstrates in Dakar to Protest Against Possible Third Term for President Sall

The protest was called and organized by an opposition coalition called the Movement of the Living Forces of Senegal (F24), referring to the country's upcoming presidential election, scheduled for 24 February next year.
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The Senegalese capital city of Dakar on Friday saw huge numbers of Senegalese opposition supporters and civil society activists gather in the city center to protest against the possible candidacy of President Macky Sall for a third term.
Demonstrators accused President Sall of "blocking the democratic process" in the West African country.

"Macky Sall is done. He must not seek a third term. We'll not accept it - not today, not tomorrow," said protester Ibrahima Lo, as quoted by local media.

Sall, 61, took office in 2012 and successfully ran for re-election in 2019. According to the Senegalese constitution, which was amended in 2016, no individual can hold the presidency for more than two consecutive terms, which have been cut to five years from seven.
Sall's government has been accused by the opposition of using the country's legal system to go after possible opponents, such as prominent opposition figure Ousmane Sonko, who came third in the 2019 presidential race.
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The opposition's allegations have been rejected by the government. Sonko is at present facing two separate cases that could prevent him from running in the 2024 presidential race.
On Monday, 8 May, Senegal's Court of Appeals gave him a six-month suspended sentence in a defamation case against the country's tourism minister, Alioune Sarr.
A second trial is set to begin next Tuesday, in which Sonko is accused of raping a beauty salon worker in 2021 and threatening to kill her. The opposition leader has denied both charges.