Senegal’s President Macky Sall has reaffirmed his commitment to stepping down as scheduled on April 2, seemingly rejecting a proposal arising from his own political discussions aimed at resolving the weeks-long crisis.
Senegal, traditionally stable, has experienced its most significant unrest in decades following Sall’s unexpected postponement of the presidential election originally slated for the past Sunday.
Initiating a two-day “national dialogue” on Monday to determine a new election date, the recommendations suggested holding the election on June 2, two months after Sall’s mandate concludes, with him staying in office until his successor is inaugurated.
While Sall announced on Wednesday his intention to seek the opinion of Senegal’s Constitutional Council on these conclusions, he restated on Thursday that his departure date remains “absolutely firm.”
“The national dialogue has proposed June 2, 2024 as the new date for Senegal’s presidential elections,” Sall posted on X, formerly Twitter.
“However, I would like to make it clear that I will be leaving office at the end of my term on April 2, as I have already indicated,” he added.
Despite affirming multiple times recently that he would step down in early April, on Monday, Sall left room for the potential of an extension, stating, “If there’s a consensus, I’m prepared, in the best interests of the nation, to take it upon myself to stay on even if it’s not my choice.”
It is worth noting that Senegal’s constitution does not address the scenario of Sall departing on April 2 with an election scheduled two months later.
