the failed exit of Macky Sall – L’Express

President Macky Sall is preparing to leave power without the slightest self-criticism, so voters in Senegal (17 million inhabitants) are going to the polls this Sunday. “I have no excuses to make,” he told the BBC a few days before the first round of the presidential election on March 24, taking stock of his twelve years at the head of his country. from West Africa. The head of state says he is “truly surprised, and even bruised by the value judgments” made about his person. On February 3, just ten hours before the start of the presidential campaign, it was he who canceled the presidential election initially scheduled for February 25. The political crisis that followed, with demonstrations harshly repressed, resulted in several deaths. But ultimately, Senegalese institutions held firm. And the vote will only have been postponed for one month, according to the wishes of the Constitutional Council.

Accused of wanting to stay in power, Macky Sall, deemed “consensual” when he came to power in 2012, sees his image tarnished. And Senegalese democracy once again appears weakened. After having caused (much) concern, even beyond the borders of Senegal, by leaving the possibility of running for a third term, Macky Sall disappointed. “And this, especially since he was one of the leaders of the democratic struggles in Senegal under the presidency of Abdoulaye Wade,” regrets Abdou Latif Coulibaly, resigning minister. The former mayor of Saint-Louis Cheikh Bamba Dièye remembers Macky Sall “of the great era”: “In 2012, we demonstrated side by side to protest against the third term of Abdoulaye Wade in the name of respect for the Constitution , in the name of democracy.”

First Prime Minister, then President of the National Assembly, Macky Sall, who became a dissident, was among the spearheads of the protest against President Wade. At the time, the demonstrations, banned by the government, were violently repressed and – already – resulted in around ten deaths. “When there were injured people, it was Macky Sall who took them to the emergency room at arm’s length,” recalls Doctor Babacar Niang who runs the Suma Assistance clinic in Dakar. “Everything the opposition does today, Macky did it, while being in the same position,” he adds.

“At the start, he’s a likeable character.”

Repudiated by President Abdoulaye Wade (2000-2012) for having accused his son Karim Wade – nicknamed “Mr. 10%” – of corruption, Macky Sall, who intends to renew political practices, arouses new hope from 2012. Born a one year after the independence of Senegal, this geological engineer trained in Senegal represents a new lease of life. In the countryside, Macky Sall tours Senegal three times, meeting non-Dakar city dwellers and rural Senegalese. “His speech and his actions were innovative,” underlines Alioune Tine, founder of the Afrikajom think tank. “At the start, he is a friendly character, with ambition for his country,” says former Prime Minister Aminata Touré, now in the opposition.

Twelve years later, certain achievements have arisen from his promises, especially on the economic level. The country’s growth increased from 2.9% on average over the period 2005-2011 to 5.3% between 2012 and 2023. The one who calls himself the “builder” can boast of having built a new economic center in Diamniadio connected to Dakar by a regional express train, football stadiums, and developed the road and electricity network. “No one attacks me on my economic record,” the president regularly remarks to the press.

“He knew how to carry the voice of Senegal”

Macky Sall is also making his mark internationally. One of its diplomatic successes: the entry of the African Union into the G20. “He was able to carry the voice of Senegal and Africa on crucial issues, such as access to water or the importation of cereals in the midst of the war in Ukraine,” judges the former diplomat at UNESCO Seydou Kanté. Taking advantage of the good favors of the international community, he is a candidate for the soon-to-be vacant post of UN Secretary General. Aspirations now gone. “It’s over,” comments Caroline Roussy, of the Institute of International and Strategic Relations. “By trying to postpone the election, he has lost all credibility on the international scene.”

In Senegal too, his democratic image has been tarnished. In recent years, he has been seen as a “hyperpresident” with authoritarian tendencies. “As he realized the immensity of his power, he evolved towards an autocratic, less consultative style,” believes Aminata Touré. By declaring in 2015 during a trip that he wanted to “reduce the opposition to its simplest expression”, Macky Sall made a misstep. During his two mandates, he was not kind to his rivals, the most serious of whom ended up being convicted, even imprisoned. This is the case of the former mayor of Dakar Khalifa Sall (for embezzlement of public funds) and Karim Wade, the son of the former president (for illicit enrichment).

In 2021, a political-judicial battle began with the most serious opposition candidate Ousmane Sonko, imprisoned in July 2023 for a morals affair and released last week. In private, Macky Sall half-heartedly justifies his fight against Ousmane Sonko by his desire to “provide a shield to the Salafists” and the supposed links of this opponent with Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood movement. “On this, Macky is not completely wrong, but what motivated Sonko was the third term that the president intended to run for,” believes former minister Thierno Alassane Sall and candidate for the presidency. election.

Banning opposition demonstrations, deadly repression, Internet shutdowns, detention of political activists and journalists… For human rights NGOs, the decline in fundamental freedoms under President Sall is an undeniable reality. In recent weeks, facing the Constitutional Council, the last bulwark against growing authoritarianism, and certainly international pressure, Macky Sall has let go. “He has backed down, certainly, but he has long chosen to persist; Senegalese democracy has paid a heavy price,” points out Aminata Touré, recalling that at least 40 people have died in the repression of demonstrations since 2021.

In a final attempt at appeasement, Macky Sall passed an amnesty law on March 6, supposed to benefit political detainees. The opponent Ousmane Sonko and his second, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, favorite candidate in the presidential election of March 24, were released, respectively after eight and eleven months of detention, last Thursday. Finally, they were able to campaign. But the said law is hardly convincing, as it also protects the perpetrators from repression and possible prosecution. “It is not a step towards the opposition for appeasement, it is a gesture of self-protection for himself and his acolytes”, denounces Aminata Touré, while a complaint to the International Criminal Court ( ICC) was filed last year. This Sunday’s election, which comes after a cancellation and postponement of the vote, remains uncertain. But one thing is certain: Macky Sall’s exit will not live up to his entry, in 2012 when he embodied the hopes of an entire nation. Regarding this failed end of mandate, a regular visitor to the presidential palace concludes: “Macky Sall knows it, he even fears it.”