Senegal’s Sall Tries to Salvage Legacy Amid Democratic Crisis

President canceled election, sparking protests in the capital
Country long a bulwark of democracy in region rife with coups

Macky Sall, Senegal’s president, arrives for the International Forum on Peace and Security In Africa, in Dakar, Senegal, on Monday, Dec. 5, 2016. Photographer: Xaume Olleros/Bloomberg

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By Yinka Ibukun and Katarina Hoije

February 23, 2024 at 8:12 PM UTC

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Senegalese President Macky Sall rode to power in 2012 on the back of a popular uprising against an aging leader trying to cling to power. This week, he tried to dispel the widespread perception that he had turned into one himself.

In a carefully orchestrated appearance on state TV on Thursday, Sall insisted that the constitutional crisis sparked by his decision to cancel elections in the West African country — a government crackdown on mass protests, internet shutdowns, opposition leader arrests — wasn’t his fault. He remained the democrat Senegal had enthusiastically elected in 2012, and “never intended to overstay” his tenure.