Senegalese President Macky Sall has been widely hailed after he announced that he will not seek re-election next year 2024 when his two-term constitutional limit ends.
"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.
Statesmanship
The Senegalese president's decision has been welcomed internationally with many saying keeping to his commitment will douse political tensions and further consolidate democracy in the country.
''His decision represents a very important example for his country and the world,'' UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a tweet.
The UN boss also expressed his ''deep appreciation for President Macky Sall and the statesmanship he has shown.''
Leaders in West Africa have also praised President Sall. The president of Niger Mohammed Bazoum said ''I express the hope that this carefully considered decision will definitively calm the political climate in this brotherly country.''
Several West African countries have seen military coups in recent years partly due to disrespecting presidential term limits and speculations that the Senegalese President was planning to extend his rule had fueled political tensions in the country.
Call for calm
President Sall, 61, came to power in 2012 after winning the presidential elections and then re-elected in 2019 for another seven-year term.
There was no immediate public statement from the opposition after President Sall's declaration.
Supporters of the main opposition leader Ousmane Sonko who was recently found guilty of corrupting the youth, had been mounting pressure on the president not to seek another term in office saying doing so would be against the constitution.
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.”
