Pressure Forced Senegal Leader To Bow Out – Opposition

Opposition politicians have reacted to Senegal President Macky Sall’s announcement that he will not be a candidate in the 2024 presidential election, saying it resulted from pressure from the people.

Abass Fall, a member of parliament and co-ordinator of Pastef – the party of key opposition leader Ousmane Sonko – said it was no surprise:

“What would have surprised us is if Macky Sall had declared his candidacy for 2024. We all know that he wanted to… unfortunately for him, the pressure was such that he had no choice but to respect the constitution, which he himself cited several times, which he had voted in 2016.”

Aminata Touré, a former prime minister who is now in opposition said Mr Sall’s decision to respect the constitution was because of the “mobilisation of Senegalese democrats” locally and in the diaspora:

“No one was prepared to accept the democratic regression he envisaged. So, in desperation, he respects the Constitution. If he had done so much sooner, we wouldn’t be where we are today,” she said.

She said 16 people had been killed in protes”s “and the commission of inquiry will have to tell us who the masterminds were and who the others were”.

A former trade minister and leader of the ruling Alliance pour la République party, Aminata Assome Diatta, has however described the moment as “historic”.

“Today is a historic date, and more than in the past, the President of the Republic has shown the world that politics can go hand in hand with ethics,” she said.

BBC/Jide Johnson.