Senegal’s prominent opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko, expressed concerns about potential “unimaginable chaos” if he is prevented from participating in the upcoming February elections.
These remarks came in response to President Macky Sall’s confirmation that he will not seek another term in office.
In a virtual interview with France 24, Sonko warned that if President Sall resorts to legal maneuvers to obstruct his candidacy, it would lead to a state of disorder and jeopardize the conduct of elections in the country.
Sonko, known for his outspoken and confrontational style, recently received a two-year prison sentence on charges of morally corrupting a young woman. This conviction renders him ineligible to run for office.
The ruling triggered significant unrest in Senegal, resulting in clashes that claimed the lives of 16 people, according to official figures, or around 30 people, as claimed by the opposition.
President Sall, who is nearing the end of his second term, announced on Monday in a nationwide address that he would not seek a controversial third term in the forthcoming election. Although some of Sall’s supporters argued that a 2016 constitutional revision reset the term limit to zero, the constitution states that a president cannot serve more than two terms.
In recent months, he had remained coy about a third term, stoking ambiguity exploited by the opposition.
On Thursday, Sonko said the president had made the decision not to run, “not because he is a democrat,” but because of “popular and international pressure.”
He said there is no reason to congratulate him for it.
Though he said those in power are determined to eliminate him from the presidential race, Sonko flagged that he was “ready to forgive” and even to “forget” if permitted to run.
Calling for free, transparent and inclusive elections, Sonko said he hoped Sall ended his term well “and that he and his family will be able to leave in peace.”
Additionally, Sonko mentioned that he is currently not in communication with President Sall.
Since May 28, a few days before the court’s ruling, security forces have maintained a blockade around Sonko’s residence in the capital city of Dakar, effectively confining him to his home.