Senegal’s outgoing President Macky Sall said on Thursday that his mandate would end on April 2, but he kept the date of the presidential election, which he had postponed earlier this month, open.
Sall faced mounting pressure to announce a date for the poll after his surprise postponement of the February 25 election sparked weeks of political turmoil.
“On April 2, 2024, my mission ends at the head of Senegal,” the president stated.
“As far as the date is concerned, we’ll see what the dialogue comes up with,” he said during a televised press interview, referring to the political debate he plans to hold beginning Monday.
“The election can be held before or after 2 April,” he told reporters.
When asked if the election could be held between now and April 2, he responded, “I don’t think so.”
Sall announced the election delay hours before official campaigning was meant to begin, with parliament supporting the move despite substantial opposition, and then setting a new election date of mid-December.
The opposition slammed Sall’s proposal as a “constitutional coup,” claiming that his party was afraid of losing elections.
The delay drove the typically peaceful West African country into its greatest political crisis in decades, resulting in violence that killed four people.
Adding to the uncertainty, the top constitutional court overturned the delay last week and ordered that the referendum be held “as soon as possible.”
Sall stated that he will “without delay carry out the consultations necessary” to achieve this.
According to the presidency, during Wednesday’s cabinet meeting, the president requested that “all arrangements” be made “for the presidential election to be organised well on a date which will be set very soon”.
It went on to say that this will happen “after consultations with politicians, civil society officials, and representatives of key actors”.
‘Dialogue’
Sall also stated that he desired “dialogue” to defuse tensions and requested that the justice ministry complete the drafting of draft laws to carry out “the will for reconciliation and forgiveness”.
Hundreds of arrested opposition and civil society activists were released last week.
However, after mobilising several thousand people last weekend, civil society groups have scheduled another march in Dakar on Saturday to maintain the pressure.
Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, an imprisoned opposition candidate and one of 19 presidential aspirants, accused Sall of delaying his feet on Wednesday.
Most of the other candidates accused Sall of “ill will” in a unified statement, and his critique echoed theirs.
Faye said in a statement that he would only consent to negotiations about setting an election date “without delay” and before the conclusion of Sall’s mandate.
Faye is the deputy to the anti-establishment firebrand Ousmane Sonko, who is also imprisoned.
Ngagne Demba Toure, the national youth coordinator for Sonko’s defunct political party, was imprisoned on Thursday after being detained the day before, according to one of his lawyers, Moussa Sarr.
Sarr stated that his client had been charged with “criminal association in connection with a terrorist undertaking,” “attacks and plots in connection with a terrorist undertaking,” and “offence against the head of state.”
Sall, who has been in power since 2012, said he cancelled the vote due to disagreements on the disqualification of potential candidates and concerns about a return to the instability seen in 2021 and last year.
The opposition accuses him of attempting to stay in government, despite Sall’s repeated statements that he will not run for a third term.
The coalition supporting the president’s party’s nominee, Prime Minister Amadou Ba, urged its leaders on Wednesday to mobilise voters for a first-round victory regardless of when the poll is held.
Senegal’s international partners expressed alarm over the recent political turbulence.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expressed hope for a “speedy resolution and to ensure continued stability and economic progress in the country” on Thursday.