Macky Sall vows to preserve democracy as presidential elections near

Senegalese President Macky Sall has pledged not to transgress democracy amid heated debate about a possibility of a third term in office.

“I’ve never answered that question in my country, and I’m not going to do it abroad,” Sall told Bloomberg on the sidelines of the Rotterdam conference on climate change, when asked about his plans to run for a third mandate.

“I am not someone who seeks to deviate from democracy,” he added.

The Western African country, one time known as a beacon of democracy in the region, has been rocked recently by protests caused suggestions that the incumbent leader may seek another term in office – meaning a change of the constitution.

Next presidential elections are expected in 2024 and domestic political atmosphere has been dominated by rejection of the opposition of Sall’s alleged plans to alter the constitution to seek other five years in office. Sixty-year-old Sall, was elected in 2012 for seven years then re-elected in 2019 for another five.

His coalition has lost its absolute majority in parliament by a single seat, despite finishing first by a narrow margin in July legislative polls.