Senegal’s president rules out 3rd term

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) – Senegalese President Macky Sall said on Monday that he will not seek a third term in next year’s presidential elections, ending months of speculation.

His announcement in a televised address came after a group of mayors signed a petition on Saturday urging Sall to seek reelection in the polls set for February.

“My decision is not to be a candidate in the 2024 presidential election, even though the Constitution gives me the right to do so,” he said in the widely anticipated national address.

Speculation about Sall’s intentions had fueled protests over the past year after the opposition said running for a third term would be unconstitutional.

On Sunday, opposition leader Ousmane Sonko called on his supporters to take to the streets if the president announced his intention to take another shot at the presidency.

Sonko was sentenced last month to two years in prison for “corrupting youth.”

Sall, 61, assumed power in 2012 and won reelection in 2019.

His supporters had argued that he remains legally eligible to contest elections again under a new Constitution revised in 2016.