POLITICS
3rd TERM OF PRESIDENT MACKY SALL – Thesis and antithesis on the third term: which Ismaila Madior Fall to rely on?
In recent months, the debate on Macky Sall’s third candidacy has been led by his closest collaborators who are trying to justify it. In this general melee, an authorized voice stands out and attracts attention. This is the Minister of Justice, Ismaila Madior Fall, the same minister who thought and defended the 2016 constitutional reform. To the scientifically supported claims of the legal expert, who said urbi et orbi that the president would end his reign in 2024 if he was re-elected in 2019, come bump a very versatile position of the minister and partisan of the Head of State, who is doing everything in his power to find him arguments to reinvent a reading of the famous article 27 of the Constitution.
If the debate on Macky Sall’s third candidacy had been carried only by the big mouths of the presidential coalition, we could have hoped that the President of the Republic would come out of the big door in 2024, as the Constitution tells him. But when scientists, and even more, when the man who carried the 2016 reform likes to play the game of «neither yes nor no» of his Chief, there is reason to fear for the future of the rule of law and the stability of the country. This becomes all the more unacceptable as Minister Ismaila Madior Fall, then the Head of Justice, had sold the merits of the said reform in that it would make it possible to lock mandates to two, and this clearly. Judging by his dithering, we don’t know which saint to turn to.
To understand the versatility of the minister and Pr, Ismaila Madior Fall, we must go back to his outbursts against President Wade’s third term project. Fiercely opposed to the too many candidacies of Macky Sall’s predecessor, the law professor did not lack arguments to wear the estocade. “I heard President Wade himself say that he had locked down the Constitution and that this meant he could not do a third term. (…) Today, I consider that President Wade cannot hold a third term. Why? Because the statement of the President of the Republic is an important source in constitutional law,” he said in the Grand Jury broadcast of the Radio future media.
Sure of his knowledge, the professor managed to find the reasons for the illegality of Wade’s candidacy, both in the Constitution itself, as well as in the acts and gestures of the former Head of State. The President of the Republic has two qualities that allow him to authenticate the constitutional profile. First, argued Ismaila Madior Fall, he is its guardian. Second, he is its authentic interpreter. If I were a member of the Constitutional Council of Senegal—and I would be very happy if the President consulted me—I would say to him, Mr. President of the Republic, from all the information I have, according to the statement you made, according to my reading of the Constitution, you can’t do a third term,” he added.
On the possible third candidacy of Macky Sall, then Minister of Justice, Ismaila Madior Fall kicked the thesis of his counterparts, especially that of constitutional expert Babacar Guèye. To the latter who warned against a remake of the 2012 situation, the Keeper of the Seals had said, in 2017 on the RFM:” I realize that people do not read the texts. If people continue to say that it is possible for the President to serve a third term, I am thinking that we have not read the texts, including 27 which states very clearly that no one may serve more than two consecutive terms.
For him, there was no doubt that Macky Sall could not run for a third term.” The revision of the constitution is clear. This means that the question of the third mandate will no longer be raised in Senegal’s history. The constitution leaves no room for interpretation: no one may exercise more than two consecutive mandates.” This last sentence, he repeated it more than 3 times, as if to instill the idea in the minds of citizens.
he antithesis of the minister and partisan
Today, that is the exact opposite of the allegations cited by the same man. If he had maintained that Wade was bound by his word, he pretended not to have heard President Sall repeatedly support, in Senegal and abroad, before religious figures including, that his reign would end in 2024. Beyond these ethical and moral considerations, the law defended by Professor Ismaila Madior Fall, under Wade, remains the same and the situation has hardly changed.
However, when Ismaila Madior Fall was questioned in March 2021 on Tfm’s D’clique, he tried to dodge the question and served a response that says everything about him: My status as Minister of State prevents me from expressing myself. Because there is an obligation of reserve that weighs on me. However, it was as Minister of Justice that he personally invested in selling his boss’ reform plan. Why did he not mention the duty to reserve when he repeated over and over again that “no one may serve more than two consecutive terms”?
The greatest contradiction between the lawyer and the minister, who are mistaken for the same physical being, lies in his statement at the beginning of December, when he appeared before members of Parliament to vote on his budget. This opinion does not bear the force of res judicata. Therefore, to the competent court to say the Right, and to the Doctrine to give a scientific opinion,” he defended himself against those who questioned him about his earlier statements.
All this acrobatics on the part of the minister, on an issue as simple as the illegality or at least the immorality of Macky Sall’s candidacy augurs a manifest desire to push him to try one too many terms. The honour of the word of the Head of State must be the most reliable source of the right of a people thirsting for ethics and virtues. More than anyone, Ismaila Madior Fall, who advised Wade to keep his word, has no right to preach the opposite in an identical political and electoral context. The interests of the people and of science must come before his own and those of his Chief.
By Khalifa Ababacar Gaye / kagaye@senenews.com
In a statement released on Sunday, May 18, the New Responsibility (NR), party led by former Prime Minister Amadou Ba, officially announced its participation in the national dialogue convened by President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye. This decision comes in a tense political context where several political formations have already made known their divergent positions on this presidential initiative.
Participation conditioned by broader ambitions
While New Responsibility (NR) confirms its presence in the upcoming discussions, it does not fail to point out that the proposed framework seems too narrow. The central theme of the political system is important, but it alone is not enough to meet the deep and legitimate expectations of Senegalese women and men,” reads the communiqué.
The party of Amadou Ba, defining itself as “an indisputable political force”, thus proposes to significantly expand the agenda of discussions to include several economic and social concerns that it considers priorities:
Public debt and the control of budget deficits;
Tax fairness;
Youth employment and employability;
Migration dynamics;
Sustainable development;
Purchasing power and the high cost of living;
The preservation of fundamental freedoms;
A strategic position in the political arena
This announcement comes at a time when the Senegalese political landscape remains divided on the very appropriateness of this dialogue. By agreeing to participate while seeking to redefine its scope, the New Responsibility adopts a constructive and critical posture that could allow it to stand out.
“Our participation is part of a dynamic of critical and constructive contribution, in a political, economic and social context of particular concern that requires rapid appeasement measures”, says the party, thus alluding to the tensions that run through Senegalese society.
A Republican vision claimed
The New Responsibility (NR) recalls its attachment to its credo “JAMM AK NJARIN” (peace and shared prosperity) and insists on its conception of national dialogue as “a republican instrument of pacification, strengthening democracy and consolidation of the rule of law”.
The Senegalese Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko made his first official visit to Burkina Faso on Friday, May 16, 2025. During this visit, he reaffirmed to Captain Ibrahim Traoré the willingness of Senegal to provide its support in the face of the terrorist threat in the Sahel.
On an official visit to Ouagadougou, Ousmane Sonko, Prime Minister of Senegal, was received in audience by the President of the Transition of Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traoré. Accompanied by three members of his government—Yassine Fall, Minister of Foreign Affairs and African Integration; Birame Diop, Minister of the Armed Forces; and Khady Diène Gaye, Minister of Sport — The head of the Senegalese government engaged in more diplomatic exchanges at the summit.
This first visit to Burkina Faso takes place against a background of high security tensions in the region. At the end of his meeting with President Traoré, Ousmane Sonko wished to express “the solidarity of the Senegalese people towards the people of Burkina Faso in the face of this test imposed on them, which they did not choose”. In addition, he provided “absolute support” to the transitional authorities and affirmed Senegal’s readiness to consider “any possibility of collaboration and support” in the face of the terrorist threat. He also stressed the need for a united and structured response, because, he said: “None of our countries can escape this gangrene”.
Ousmane Sonko, in his statements, calls for a collective approach to security in West Africa. He also said: “It is illusory to believe that the security threat will stop at the borders of Burkina Faso, Mali or Niger. It is a struggle of all West Africa”.
Ousmane Sonko not only spoke to Ouagadougou, but also to Bamako and Niamey.
Apart from the diplomatic issues, the visit of the Senegalese Prime Minister also has a historical dimension. Indeed, on Saturday, May 17, 2025, he took part in the inauguration of the Thomas Sankara Mausoleum, an emblematic figure of Pan-Africanism and its 12 companions in Ouagadougou. For the Senegalese Prime Minister, Thomas Sanka who is one of his master thinkers “has been illuminating all the pan-Africanist and sovereignist struggles on the continent for a few decades”. He also planned to meet with the Senegalese community living in Burkina Faso.
Mali is turning a decisive page in its political life. By a presidential decree, adopted by the extraordinary Council of Ministers on 13 May 2025, the authorities of the military transition have officially dissolved all political parties and organizations of a political nature in the country. This is unprecedented in the country. In addition to generating a wave of national and international outrage, this decree marks the end of multi-party democracy.
A dissolution with the taste of “reform”
The announcement was made on the ORTM channel by Mamani Nassiré, Minister delegate to the Prime Minister responsible for political reforms. According to him, this decision is part of a broad process of “re-founding” political life. The government says it wants to “clean up” the partisan landscape by reducing the number of political parties now estimated at nearly 300. The government wants to set up and review their funding, which amounts to 0.25% of annual tax revenues. No political party can now organize meetings or carry out activities, under penalty of sanctions. On the other hand, elected representatives and officials belonging to political parties can continue their missions, on the sole condition that they no longer claim to be members of their party.
A repressed measure
For several weeks, many political parties, including the “Yelema” party, had denounced this project. Its president, Youssouf Diawara, said: “Political parties are not the problem in Mali. The emergency is insecurity, high cost of living, health and education”. Indeed, the political parties that oppose this decree see it as a violation of the Constitution and a setback for democracy. A citizen protest movement had emerged in early May. A demonstration, which gathered several hundred people on May 3, 2025 in Bamako, was quickly dispersed by the security forces. During this demonstration, several opposition and civil society figures were arrested and some people are reported missing.
Sanctioned media
In the past four years, Mali has seen two military coups. On 18 August 2020, President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta and his Prime Minister Boubou Cissé were removed from power before being arrested. Nine months later, the transitional president Bah N’Daw and his prime minister Moctar Ouane are deposed on May 24, 2021. In ten years, Mali has experienced three coups with the military takeover in 2012, and the fifth in the history of Mali after the coups d’état of 1991 and 1968. The Malian authorities have increased restrictions on both foreign and domestic media. They accuse them of partiality in the treatment of information concerning the situation of the country and disinformation. At the national level, in December 2024, the Djoliba TV News report was withdrawn. The High Authority for Communication (HAC) of Mali. The channel TV5 Monde has been suspended again “until further notice” on 13 May 2025. She is accused of “lack of impartiality” in her coverage of opposition protest movements on May 3, 2025 in her report for the 20:30 newspaper. It had already been suspended for three months in 2024.
Suspension of political parties: After Burkina Faso and Niger, it is the turn of Mali
The repeal of the charter of political parties that set their legal and financial frameworks, leaves an institutional vacuum according to its refractory. Political parties no longer exist legally. Only civil society still exists. But it remains closely monitored by the state. With this new decision taken by the transitional government, Mali joins its ESA neighbours. Before him, Burkina Faso suspended political party activities since September 2022. In Niger, General Abdourahamane Tiani ordered the dissolution of parties on 26 March 2025 following controversial national assizes.
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