NGOs demand Senegal's president renounce a third term

A number of Senegalese associations on Thursday urged President Macky Sall to dispel doubts and publicly declare that he would not run for a third term, which they say could sow "chaos".

Sall, who was elected in 2012 and re-elected in 2019, has for months remained vague on whether or not he intends to seek a third mandate in 2024.

The constitution stipulates that a president cannot serve more than two consecutive terms.

But the president's supporters argue that a 2016 constitutional revision has reset the clock.

The opposition promises fierce resistance if Sall, who is currently president of the African Union, does seek another term.

In a statement Thursday, human rights and democracy organisations pointed to the "particularly tragic" consequences of attempts to force third terms elsewhere in Africa -- an issue that in Guinea and Ivory Coast has led to explosive violence.

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The non-governmental organisations said they wanted to "avoid a scenario of chaos" in a country known for political stability compared to the rest of the region.

"To avoid such a catastrophe, the consequences of which could be even more dramatic than those of 2012, we invite you, Mr. President, to make an open declaration to remove any ambiguity," they wrote.

In 2012, former president Abdoulaye Wade's candidacy for a third term of office provoked violence that left several people dead.

"The limitation of mandates to two is unequivocal and definitively anchored in the fundamental law", they added.

They also referred to past statements and commitments made verbally or in writing by Sall himself, noting that he had fought against Wade's attempts at a third mandate a decade ago.

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In that struggle, Sall was the "main beneficiary", they said.

"We... solemnly invite you not to present your candidacy for the 2024 presidential election, out of respect for the word you have given and out of respect for the clear and unequivocal interpretation you have always given of our constitution", they said.

Source: AFP