Senegalese President Reduces Presidential Term From Seven To Five Years

Senegalese President Macky Sall has reduced his Presidential term from 7 to 5 years in a bid to cancel a referendum on the issue which was previously slated for April 2016, due to pressure from the opposition party.

Giving reasons why he reduced the presidential term, President Sall said the decision was among the 15-point constitutional development ‘action plan’ he is pushing. Sall’s decision was intended to end the confusion among politicians over the holding of the referendum.

It can be recalled late last year that the opposition had been arguing that the referendum would not be held due to cost concerns, with the opposition leaders stressing that the government was exaggerating the cost of the exercise.

The 7 years presidential term has been a norm in Senegal since the adoption of the system from France in 1960 when the African country gained independence.

The tenure was proposed by French statesman Charles de Gaulle in France through the constitution of the Fifth Republic which he was in-charge after the Second World War.

Although President Abdoulaye Wade promised to reduce the tenure to five years in 2000 when he was elected into office, but failed to do so throughout his 12 years reign as the President of the country.

With the new development, it means that the next Presidential election in the country will take place in 2017 where President Macky Sall will battle it out with Socialist Party candidate Khalifa Sall at the polls for the number one position in Senegal.