Senegal’s president dissolves government

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) – Senegalese President Macky Sall dissolved his government Wednesday and appointed Sidiki Kaba as the new prime minister, the president’s office announced.

Kaba served as interior minister in the previous government.

He replaces Amadou Ba, who was named as the ruling party candidate in this year’s presidential election. He had held the position of prime minister since September 2022.

Sall dissolved the government after Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting, where he congratulated “all the government officials who served under his tenure over the past 12 years.”

The Senegalese leader thanked and congratulated the outgoing prime minister and all the ministers “for the remarkable work accomplished, in all sectors,” said a statement issued after the Cabinet meeting.

Sall, who has been in power since 2012, announced last month that he will step down when his mandate as president ends on April 2.

He announced the indefinite suspension of the Feb. 25 presidential election on Feb. 3, citing a dispute over the candidate list and alleged corruption of constitutional judges, triggering political chaos.

The National Assembly then passed a bill postponing the vote until Dec. 15 as security forces stormed the building and removed some opposition lawmakers.

But the Senegalese Constitutional Council declared the law postponing the country’s presidential vote to December “unconstitutional” and annulled his decree to delay the poll.

Sall announced Wednesday that the presidential election will be held on March 24.