It has come to our attention that Article 27 of the Constitution of Senegal is confusing and is the main cause for the all-time debates and fights against presidents forcing to run for a third term. The current provision only limits the number of consecutive terms for the President to two without any cap on the number of times a President can serve. This has led to Presidents changing the constitution to their advantage, which is not good for our country.

Solutions to Lawmakers

To resolve this issue, we propose to add a cap on the service of the President to no more than 14 years. This means that any President can only serve a maximum of two consecutive terms, and when combined with their first term, a total of no more than 14 years. Adding a maximum number of years to the President’s service can help stop the debate and fight against a presidential third term.

To implement this, we suggest amending Article 27 of the Constitution of Senegal, whereby the new provision should read “The duration of the President’s term is five years, and no President can serve for more than two consecutive terms within 14 years of total service.”

It is crucial to protect this amendment from other Presidents who may wish to change it to their favor. Therefore, we suggest implementing measures such as having a two-thirds majority vote in the National Assembly to amend this provision and having the Senegalese people’s approval through a referendum.

The importance of the separation of power cannot be overemphasized in Senegal’s political system, limiting the presidential terms and putting a maximum years to the President’s service can help stabilize Senegal’s protest and political system. The youth, the women, and the people of Senegal need stability, peace, and real democratic governance.

By Boys & Girls Clubs of Senegal