Senegal’s President Macky Sall Says He’ll Exit Office When his Term Ends, but Election Date Remains Uncertain

Updated: This story has been updated to reflect the most recent developments as of Friday, Feb. 23, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. GMT.

Following the ruling of Senegal’s Constitutional Council on the postponement of the country’s general elections, declaring it as illegal, President Macky Sall has now pledged to organize the elections “as soon as possible.” In a statement on Friday, the Senegalese Presidency stated that it “intends to fully implement the decision of the Constitutional Council.”

Citizens of the West African nation were scheduled to go to the polls on February 25 before its postponement via Parliament. Unanimously canceling the decree signed by the president, the seven members of the council held that the National Assembly’s decision to reschedule the elections was “contrary to the constitution.”

Following the Council’s ruling, while a new timeline hasn’t been shared for the elections, a much nearer date will help quell the civil unrest that engulfed the country.

On February 5, the country’s parliament voted for the extension in a session that saw the dramatic and aggressive removal of a number of opposition leaders from the country’s parliament, many of whom called the decision to delay the election a “constitutional coup” and an assault on democracy. President Sall has announced that he will not be running for a third term, though the extension allows him to stay in power for longer than his tenure, as it was due to end on April 2.

The bill was introduced by the main opposition, the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS), as their candidate Karim Wade was rejected for holding dual nationalities. PDS also accused two members of the Constitutional Council of corruption and conflicts of interest, leading the national assembly to initiate a parliamentary commission of inquiry.

Presidential hopeful and leader of opposition party La République des Valeurs, Thierno Alassane Sall (no relation to the current president), shared a statement to X (formerly Twitter) where he voiced his rejection of the bill as well as the current president’s attempt to extend his term. Speaking to his followers Sall said, “The President of the Republic has assumed powers that he does not have, trampling on the Constitution of Senegal. Parliament has just violated article 103 of the Constitution, which makes it impossible to extend the mandate limited to five years by article 27. These criminal maneuvers are an insult to the history of Senegal.”

The president’s announcement on Saturday, February 3, bled havoc into the nation’s capital Dakar on Sunday, February 4 where opposition politician Aminata Toure and another were detained and then later freed by police. The government immediately dove into censoring the uproar over the weekend, as it ordered a private television broadcaster off the air for covering the protests, alleging it attempted to incite violence. Internet connections have been restricted in the West African nation, with the Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital Economy claiming it was done, “due to the dissemination of several hateful and subversive messages relayed on social networks in the context of threats and disturbances to public order.” The government is also controlling the movements of motorcycles in Dakar, as security reinforcements are sent to the capital.

Abdou Latif Coulibaly, the country’s Minister Secretary General announced his resignation a few hours after the president’s weekend address, citing his desire to, “regain my full and complete freedom, to be able to defend my opinions and my political convictions,” in a statement shared to X. Last June, 15 people died when supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko clashed with police.

This is a developing story, and will be updated with new information as it becomes available.