On Friday 17 July, Dakar gave President Macky Sall a welcome the Senegalese press unanimously described as triumphant. From the airport to the presidential palace, an immense crowd accompanied the motorcade: flags, drums, welcome signs, women in ceremonial dress, young people perched on pylons. Twenty-six months after leaving office, the candidate for United Nations Secretary-General returned to his country carried by a fervour that pictures convey better than words. The full album of the day bears witness.
At the presidential palace, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye received him in audience. According to the communiqué of the Presidency, President Macky Sall officially presented his candidacy to the Head of State, briefed him on its progress and committed to keeping him regularly informed at every stage of the procedure. The Presidency welcomed his approach and described the meeting as "a symbol of the continuity of the State and the permanence of institutions, beyond alternations of power".
The next morning's front pages extended the day. "Macky superstar" for EnQuête, "Beyond divides" for Le Soleil, "Macky Sall, the grand return" for L'Observateur, "Between ambition and reconciliation" for Sud Quotidien: the national press, in all its diversity, read the sequence as a moment of unity around an ambition that transcends camps. The wall of front pages can be found in the album.
The stop fits the calendar of the process. On Thursday 23 July, all candidates will take part in the Town Hall held in the General Assembly Hall in New York, before member states and civil society; the Security Council's straw polls open right after. President Macky Sall will carry the three pillars of his vision: peace and development linked, a renewed multilateralism, a streamlined governance.
From Dakar to New York, the approach remains the one the Presidency's communiqué consecrated: report, respect the institutions, serve. The fervour of 17 July has now given it a face.
The full vision statement is available at www.mackysall.net.