A low turn-out of voters in Sunday’s referendum in Senegal voted for constitutional change, although Macky Sall appears to have reneged on a pledge to apply limits on the presidency to his own tenure.
Once ratified, the new constitution will reduce presidential terms from seven to five years and the age of candidates to 75 years old. Sall is a relatively young 54, but has been in office since April 2012, meaning he would have been forced to call a general election next April, had he kept his word. However, the reduced term will only come into force in 2019 – coinciding with the end of the incumbent’s current term. Independent candidates will also be permitted to run for president for the first time.
The president has come under widespread criticism for failing to deliver on his campaign promises, including creating jobs for the young, boosting the economy and rooting out corruption.
