The United States “welcomed” on Tuesday, July 4, the announcement of Senegalese President Macky Sall not to run for a third term in February 2024. This decision “sets an example for the region, at the the opposite of those who seek to erode respect for democratic principles, including term limits,” US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken said in a statement.
“We believe that free and fair elections and power transitions lead to stronger institutions and more stable and prosperous countries,” he added. He said the United States is “proud to support Senegal’s electoral institutions” and promised to “continue to work with Senegal to support the Senegalese people’s tenacious commitment to democracy.”
Macky Sall’s opponents had been lending him the plan for months to run for a third term, illegal in their eyes. The vagueness maintained by the Head of State on his intentions and the two-year prison sentence of one of his main opponents, Ousmane Sonko, had contributed to making the situation explosive in this West African country. , a region marked by repeated coups.
A “wise and wholesome” decision
Paris also welcomed the choice of Macky Sall, judging that “Senegal once again demonstrates the solidity of its long democratic tradition”, according to a press release from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Twitter that the decision “sets a very important example for his country and for the rest of the world”. And Moussa Faki, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, for his part hailed “a wise and salutary decision”: “I express my admiration for the great statesman that he is for having privileged the interest superior of Senegal and thus preserve the Senegalese democratic model which is the pride of Africa”, he declared.
Senegal is considered a key partner of the United States, the latter having recently shown its willingness to strengthen its ties with African countries. Joe Biden organized a summit in Washington in December 2022 bringing together some fifty leaders from the continent, including Macky Sall.