Idrissa Seck leaves Senegal’s economic council to run for president

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By Webdesk


Seck, who came second in the 2019 presidential election, condemns the country’s recent unrest and calls for fellow opposition figure Sonko to participate in 2024 as well.

The Senegalese presidency has announced that it has relieved politician Idrissa Seck of his duties as head of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council, paving the way for the former prime minister to become president in February elections.

Seck, 63, came second in the 2019 presidential race with 21 percent of the vote, after which his Rewmi party joined the ruling Benno Bokk Yakaar coalition with President Macky Sall.

Seck announced his decision to step down from the council and run again on Saturday, joining another former prime minister, Aminata Toure, and opposition leader Ousmane Sonko as declared candidates.

His candidacy also means that his party will withdraw from the ruling coalition. It is unclear how this will affect Benno Bokk Yakaar’s slim majority in parliament.

Political tensions are running high. Sall’s refusal to rule out running for a third term has led to sometimes violent demonstrations. The Senegalese constitution only allows for two terms, but some fear Sall will use a recent constitutional amendment to reset his term.

Another contentious issue is the legal proceedings against Sonko. His supporters say they are politically motivated to thwart his presidential bid. Sonko has been sued for libel filed against him by the Minister of Tourism, who accused Sonko of stealing $47 million from a government agency.

The 48-year-old also faces separate charges of raping a beauty salon employee and making death threats to her in 2021. He has denied wrongdoing.

Seck condemned the unrest when he ran for office, saying he felt Sonko should be able to run.

“We can openly disagree in Senegal, but we must never silence our brothers and sisters through persecution, one-way thinking, intellectual terrorism and violence,” he said.



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