Constitutional referendum in Senegal – Shorter presidential term: a half-kept promise

President Macky Sall decided to put constitutional changes to a referendum on 20 March 2016. The proposal includes a reduction of the presidential term length from seven to five years. Nevertheless President Sall, following the Constitutional Council's opinion, declared the reduction could not apply to his current mandate: he would thus stay in office until 2019, contrary to a promise he made when he was elected. While Sall's supporters hailed his sense of responsibility, opponents denounced this decision as a political manoeuvre to backtrack on his commitment.

• Primary Source

EU: EEAS: EU Relations with Senegal http://eeas.europa.eu/senegal/index_en.htm

---