The key issue for Senegal today is to ensure a peaceful dialogue that will secure the transfer of power, President Macky Sall told US media at the height of protests against his decision to postpone elections.
The president said that he favors a peaceful transfer of power and has no intention of clinging to office.
"I am for an inclusive, transparent and peaceful process that allows me to pass on the baton smoothly and in peace. That is the most important thing for our country today. You are right that West Africa is currently in an extremely difficult time, it's not at such a time when I am about to end my term that I will reinvent myself in a new career as a dictator or non-democrat," Sall noted.
He added that a dialogue could take place in a week or two, based on the establishment of trust between the parties.
The protests in Senegal began on Monday after the president's announcement to revoke the decree convening the electoral council on February 25, meaning that the presidential election will not take place on that date. The protests reportedly led to authorities detaining presidential candidates, arresting opposition lawmakers and shutting down the mobile internet.
The same day, lawmakers in Senegal's parliament voted to extend Sall's mandate for six months, until December 15.
One of the candidates for the election, Mamadou Diao, told Sputnik on Monday that eight candidates in the election had appealed to the Constitutional Council to annul the decree postponing the elections.
The president's postponement of the election came amid a legislative investigation of two Constitutional Council judges whose integrity in the election process was questioned.
Sall announced that he is not seeking re-election in the July 2023 address to the nation. Instead, he nominated the country's prime minister, Amadou Ba, as the ruling party's candidate for the election.