What will President Macky Sall do after 2 April if there is no election? The dialogue will decide that. But the only certainty is that the post will not be vacant. Macky Sall is thus forcing politicians to join the dialogue table to break the deadlock in Senegal.

We must dialogue to get Senegal out of the impasse into which the organisation of the presidential election and Macky Sall’s term as head of state have plunged the country. This was the main message to emerge from the interview that the Head of State gave to four media outlets. According to President Macky Sall, the dialogue will last only forty-eight hours. This forum for exchanges between the candidates retained by the Constitutional Council, those who claim to have been robbed, those who have been invalidated, religious figures and members of civil society, will begin on Monday 26 February and end on Tuesday 27 February 2024. « We’re not going to talk about everything« , said President Sall, to explain the urgency of the issue: the date of the presidential election. Indeed, the Head of State knows that his « contract at the head of the country comes to an end on 2 April (2024), since it was on that date in 2019 » that he took office. And he intends to leave office on 2 April.

Organising of the Presidential Elections: Macky in the Fog

However, if the presidential election is not organised to find him a successor, President Macky Sall does not rule out any possibility, except that « we cannot leave this country without a President. Are we going to have a transitional President, who will look after this period, or are we going to have a consensus on the date? We’ll discuss it. If there is no consensus, the Constitutional Council will arbitrate« . With this in mind, the President of the Republic felt that the presidential election should necessarily be held between March and before June 2024 to « avoid voting during the rainy season« .

Asked who would be taking part in the dialogue, Macky Sall said: « To my knowledge, there is no candidate who does not want to engage in dialogue.” But they will not be the only ones at the dialogue table. According to the President of the Republic, the political parties will be at the table, as will the so-called robbed candidates, as well as religious leaders, civil society and economic players. Will the electoral process be restarted from the beginning or will the list of 19 candidates retained by the Constitutional Council be kept? President Macky Sall has said that the dialogue will decide.

The President also confirmed talks with Ousmane Sonko. Macky Sall said he would not oppose the release of the leader of the former Pastef party and his presidential candidate, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, to enable them to attend the dialogue.

The President of the Republic also confirmed the proposed amnesty law announced by Le Quotidien to bring peace to the public arena. Macky Sall recalled that he had given instructions to this effect to the Minister of Justice, Aïssata Tall Sall.

By Malick GAYE / mgaye@lequotidien.sn

  • Translation by Ndey T. SOSSEH