Senegal’s leader divides the cabinet and sets the date for the presidential elections

Senegal President Macky Sall on Wednesday dissolved his cabinet, replaced the prime minister and postponed the country’s presidential elections to March 24, according to a government statement. The move came weeks after Mr Sall postponed the vote indefinitely, plunging the country into one of the deepest political crises in recent history as many feared he would try to stay in power beyond his term.

The elections, which are likely to be one of the most closely watched elections in Africa this year, were initially scheduled for February 25, but Mr Sal turned it off unexpectedly, without announcing a new date. He cited an investigation into allegations of corruption at the Constitutional Court, but political opponents and some analysts called the maneuver a constitutional coup. His decision Wednesday to set a date may ease some of the fears that he was trying to stay in office.

The political impasse has raised concerns among Senegal’s international allies, including the United States and European countries, which have long viewed the West African coastal country of 17 million as a reliable diplomatic partner. It is also a favorite recipient of aid in a part of Africa ravaged by coups and where aging leaders have retained their grip on power despite constitutional restrictions.

The Constitutional Court, Senegal’s highest tribunal, promptly quashed Mr Sall’s attempt to postpone the election last month. Shortly after the court ruling, the president said he would leave power on April 2, when his term ends.

But who will lead the country between the April deadline and the swearing-in of a new president remains unclear. Senegal may require a second election after results are known for the March 24 vote, but the government has not set a date for a second election or specified who would rule the country in the meantime.

Mr Sall also dismissed his Prime Minister, Amadou Ba, according to the statement. Mr. Ba is the presidential candidate of Mr. Sall’s party, and Wednesday’s resignation created confusion over whether Mr. Sall still supported him.

Sidiki Kaba, the interior minister, will become prime minister, according to Yoro Dia, Mr Sall’s spokesman. Now that the cabinet has been dissolved, Mr Kaba will form one of his own.

Mr Sall has served two terms and is barred from seeking a third term under the Senegalese constitution. The country has gone through years of political unrest and uncertainty. Over the past three years, during Mr. Sall’s second term, the government jailed hundreds of protesters and political opponents, repeatedly banned protests and shut down the internet.

In recent weeks, however, Mr Sall’s government has softened its stance towards the opposition and civil society groups, allowing demonstrations again and passing an amnesty law benefiting political prisoners. It also reopened Cheikh Anta Diop University, one of West Africa’s most prestigious universities and a hotspot for demonstrations. The university was closed last June after anti-government riots broke out in the capital Dakar.

Mr Sall has also said he is willing to pardon Ousmane Sonko, his main political opponent, who is in prison and banned from running in the upcoming elections.

Some analysts said that despite signs over the past two years that Mr. Sall would try to cling to power, he had retreated to preserve his global image, and that of Senegal.

“For a while, Macky Sall was the spoiled child of the international community – from France to the United States, but also Russia and the Arab countries,” said Alioune Tine, a well-known Senegalese human rights defender who has played an informal mediating role. between the president and the opposition in recent weeks.

“That capital was in danger of collapsing when he postponed the election,” Mr. Tine said, but he added that Mr. Sall “now wants to leave in an honorable manner.”

Nineteen candidates will take part in the presidential election now due to take place on March 24, including Mr Ba, the now former prime minister, and Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the candidate for the leading opposition party. It is unclear whether Mr Sonko would be able to run in the election if Mr Sall were to pardon him. Mr Faye is his replacement.

Despite Mr Sall’s recent softening towards the opposition, critics argue that he has significantly weakened democracy in Senegal during his 12 years in power. Dozens of demonstrators have been murdered in clashes with security forces, and Mr Sall is set to leave the presidency amid deep unpopularity.

Mr. Sall’s defenders have argued that he never crossed the line into authoritarianism and that Senegal’s young democracy has experienced the kinds of challenges that many other similar democracies often face.

But his opponents have not softened. Sixteen of the 19 candidates running in the election refused to take part in a dialogue organized by Mr Sall last week to find a solution to the ongoing political crisis.