On 3 July 2023, in a solemn address to the nation, President Macky Sall announced his decision not to seek a third term as Head of State of Senegal. The constitutional debate was still open at the time, and nothing legally compelled him to step aside. He nonetheless chose to place the stability of his country and the vitality of its democracy above any personal consideration. That evening, he gave the Senegalese people a promise he would keep.
The next day, 4 July 2023, António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, published a message that has not been forgotten: "I would like to express my deep appreciation for President Macky Sall and the statesmanship he has shown. His decision represents a very important example for his country and the world." Coming from the very top of the Organization, the tribute honoured an act.
Three years later, to the day, that message resonates in a particular way. President Macky Sall is now a candidate to succeed the very man who praised his statesmanship. Keeping the word given in 2023 has become a diplomatic asset of his candidacy, and few contenders for the leadership of the United Nations can quote, word for word, such a testimony from the outgoing Secretary-General.
The facts then confirmed the commitment. On 2 April 2024, President Macky Sall peacefully handed over power to the elected president. That handover confirmed Senegal's second democratic transfer of power, the very one he had embodied in 2012 by winning the highest office at the ballot box. Documented on our fact-checking page, this exemplary transition attests to a rare consistency in public life, where the act followed the word.
With the Security Council's first indicative votes expected in the last week of July 2026, this anniversary is a reminder. In a Secretary-General, Member States look for a leader whose word is binding and whose decisions stand the test of time. The 2023 tribute foreshadowed what came next, and the career of President Macky Sall offers a continuous demonstration of it, in Senegal as in the great multilateral arenas.