It remains unclear when the government will set a new election date as ordered by the Constitutional Court.
Senegal’s President Macky Sall has said that he will end his term in April as expected, but did not give a new date for the presidential election originally scheduled for Sunday.
Sall, who is wrapping up two terms in office and who has said he would not run again, postponed the election till December citing unresolved disputes over who could run. But his move was struck down by Senegal’s Constitutional Court as illegal.
“On April 2, 2024, my mission ends at the head of Senegal,” the president said during a televised interview on Thursday, seemingly ending suspicions that he might remain in office longer than expected.
“As far as the date is concerned, we’ll see what the dialogue comes up with,” he added. “The election can be held before or after April 2.”
It remains unclear if a new president could be elected before that date.
The Constitutional Court ordered the government to set a new election date as soon as possible and Sall has promised to comply but a date has not been set yet.
Sall said on Thursday that he would hold talks next week with political leaders, and afterwards a timeline for elections and what will happen after his mandate ends will become clearer.
“It is clear that the country can’t remain without a president. The dialogue will determine what happens next and I hope that after this dialogue there will be a consensus,” he said.
Senegal has been seen as one of West Africa’s most stable democracies, but disputes over the election have plunged the country into a political crisis that has sparked deadly protests. At least three people have been killed by security forces and dozens injured.
Opposition groups are keeping pressure on Sall to hold elections quickly, planning protests throughout the weekend. Sall has been accused of trying to hold onto power, something the president has denied.
