Senegalese President Macky Sall has announced that he is not going to run for a third term in the 2024 presidential election, ending speculations and uncertainty over his political future.
In his Monday's speech to the nation, the incumbent president noted that this decision was "long and carefully considered." He explained that he decided not run for the top job, even though the country's constitution would have allowed his candidacy.
"There has been much speculation and commentary on my eventual candidature on this election," Sall said, further elaborating: "The 2019 term was my second and last term. My decision [...] is not to run as a candidate in the upcoming election on February 25, 2024, even though the constitution grants me the right."
Sall was first elected president of Senegal in 2012 for a seven-year term. He defeated incumbent Abdoulaye Wade, whose decision to run for a third term sparked demonstrations.
In 2016, following a nationwide referendum, voters approved a constitutional amendment initiated by the Senegalese leader to reduce presidential terms from seven to five years, with a limit of two consecutive terms.
In 2019, Sall was re-elected for a five-year term. His supporters called for him to seek a third term, claiming that his first term doesn't count given the amendments to the constitution.
On the eve of the president's address, his fierce critic and opposition politician Ousmane Sonko, urged the public to "come out en masse" and oppose him, calling for the president to bow out of the upcoming election.
In the first days of June, violent unrest rocked the country, leaving at least 16 dead. The clashes between the security forces and Sonko's supporters erupted after he had been sentenced to two years in prison in a case he says was designed to stop him running for president. Earlier, a court in Senegal's capital Dakar found Sonko guilty of "corrupting youth."
The government condemned the protesters, calling their actions "extremely serious attacks against the state, the republic and institutions" and saying that the violence aimed to "sow terror" and bring the nation to a standstill.