Senegalese President Macky Sall has announced he will not seek re-election on February 25, 2024 since he would have exhausted his two-term constitutional limit.
In an address to the nation on Monday, Sall urged the Senegalese people to maintain peace as the country heads to the polls next year.
"My dear compatriots, my long and carefully considered decision is not to be a [presidential] candidate in the next election of February 25, 2024," Sall said.
He added that no one, including politicians, was above the law. He spoke at the Presidential Palace in the capital Dakar.
Sall's remarks came on the back of fears that he was planning to seek a third term against the dictates of the constitution.
Senegalese protests
The 61-year-old has been Senegal’s president since April 2012.
In the 2019 presidential election, he successfully defended his seat, when he got 2.56 million votes (58.3%) against Idrissa Seck’s 899,556 votes (20.5%) and Ousmane Sonko’s 687,523 (15.7%).
Sonko, who was declared guilty of corrupting the youth on June 1, is unlikely to be on the ballot paper in 2024 due to his two-year sentence.
Protests have since mounted in Senegal, with youths calling for the suspension of Sonko’s sentencing.
President Sall urged the Senegalese citizens to maintain peace ahead of elections, saying: “Let's abandon the populist postures that want to present our country as a lawless desert. We can be adversaries, but not enemies.”
