Senegal President Macky Sall has vowed to exit power when his mandate ends on April 2.
His assurance comes days after the country’s Constitutional Council ruled that a decision to delay the presidential election this month was illegal.
That ruling also rendered ineffective the extension to Sall mandate till December, approved by the parliament.
Those decisions triggered protests and chaos in parts of the country.
Sall said on Thursday that April 2 will be the end of his mandate as president but he added that it was unlikely the election of a new president will be completed before then.
The election had initially been scheduled for February 25. Sall’s comment could allay fears of many who anticipated that Sall was planning to extend his rule.
“April 2, 2024, will be the end of my term at the head of the country, the end of my binding relationship with the Senegalese people as president of the republic. I would like this debate to be clearly settled,” Sall said in an interview on national television.
Sall hopes a national dialogue can settle the controversy and set a new date for the election.
The dialogue would include civil society groups, political parties and candidates. It is set to begin next Monday and likely finish by Tuesday, Sall mentioned.
“If we find consensus, I will issue the decree immediately to set the date; if consensus is not found, I will refer the matter to the Constitutional Council,” Sall said.
But he mentioned that he did not think the process would be finished before April 2, when his mandate ends officially.
“What is certain is that there will be no void. We cannot leave a country without a president. I want to make the dichotomy clearly between the election and the end of the mandate,” he said.
The president also promised to follow the guidance of the Constitutional Council on the issue.
Source: Africafeeds.com
