On the eve of President Macky Sall’s address to the nation, in which he is expected to announce whether he will run for a third term in the 2024 presidential election, opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, who was recently sentenced to two years in prison, has urged the Senegalese people to “go out in droves” over the coming days.
He stated on Sunday night while making an appearance on social media that “we must come out to confront the regime of Macky Sall and say that it will not be up to him to choose the candidates who will face each other in the next presidential election.”
The most serious unrest in Senegal in years began in early June as a result of Mr. Sonko’s conviction in a vice case, which now disqualifies him. The authorities put the death toll at 16, while Amnesty International put it at 24, and the opposition put it at 30.
The administration disputes Mr. Sonko’s frequent claims that it is planning to prevent him from voting in the February 2024 presidential election. Since May 28, he has been “sequestered” by the security personnel at his Dakar home, in accordance with him.
Mr. Sall was first chosen in 2012 and then again in 2019. In 2016, he had the Constitution changed. No one is allowed to serve more than two terms in a row, according to the law. By claiming that the change has reset the numbers to zero, his supporters are endorsing him as their candidate for 2024.
The opponent claims that it would be preferable to remove the President from office politically and restart the judicial system if he chooses not to run, and that “this is not acceptable.” “I call on all the Senegalese people to stand up as one man and go out in masse and this time put an end to this criminal regime,” he says in the event that he is detained.
He said, “I believe it is up to all the Senegalese people to stand up and face him” if the President shows up. “If we must engage in combat, it must be decisive. I demand a societal awakening. The upcoming days and weeks will be vital, he continued.
