A long-awaited decision on Monday by Senegal’s President Macky Sall not to run for a third term next year has thrown open the race to lead the West African nation on the verge of becoming an oil and gas producer.
Neither Sall’s Alliance for the Republic party nor the broader Benno Bokk Yakaar (BBY) ruling coalition, has put forward any candidates since Sall ended widespread speculation about his political intentions.
Insiders point to Prime Minister Amadou Ba, former Prime Minister Mahammad Dionne and Agriculture Minister Aly Ngouille Ndiaye as potential candidates.
BBY is seeking to avoid a protracted search and primaries just under five months before a deadline to submit presidential candidates for the February poll.
“We are already discussing among ourselves,” Aymerou Gningue, a former parliament speaker for BBY said on Tuesday.
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“If we stand unified and put forward our values of solidarity and generosity to find out what we can do for Senegal we will find a strong consensus,” he added.
The United Nations on Tuesday commended Sall’s decision as a “strong demonstration of statesmanship”, echoing praise from other African leaders.
(Editor: Oloyede Oworu)
