Senegalese president Macky Sall hopes to secure final term

Senegalese outgoing President Macky Sall said Monday he is confident of a one time victory in the impending presidential elections.

Analyst say, the invalidation of veteran politician, Karim Wade of the Senegalese Democratic Party and former mayor of Dakar, Khalifa Sall could likely make this a reality.

Both opponents of Macky Sall have been hit by judicial sentences. The analyst also said, Sall’s other rivals including ex- ministers Idrissa Seck, Madické Niang and 44- year old Ousmane Sonko do not present a formidable force to Macky Sall.

The Senegalese incumbent president is campaigning on his achievements. Sall highlights his economic record and hopes to put in place what he calls phase 2 of his programme if re-elected.

“He has made ‘‘the Ila-Touba toll highway’‘, ‘‘the Farafenni bridge’‘, family exchanges, the CMU and other achievements. That is why we fully and unconditionally support him”, a supporter said.

Born in 1961 in Fatick, this geological engineer by training, joined the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS) in 1980 and became its Secretary General in 1998.

Sall served in various portfolios as a minister before becoming President of the National Assembly.

On 9 November 2008, he left the PDS and formed his political party, the Alliance for the Republic–Yaakaar (APR) , with which he won the 2012 presidential election with 66% of the vote.

Macky Sall’s record is contested by the opposition, which denounces the country’s high level of debt under his presidency.