Following the resignation of the Minister of Agriculture, Aly Ngouille Ndiaye, last Saturday, Mamadou Mame Boye Diao, the Director General of the Fund Deposits and Consignment, has now also stepped down from his position and departed from the ruling coalition, Benno Bokk Yakaar, to announce his candidacy for the 2024 presidential elections.
Mamadou Mame Boye Diao, who has been serving as the Mayor of Kolda in the southern region of the country and took on the role of Director General of the Fund Deposits and Consignment just this February, is not considered a heavyweight within President Macky Sall’s party. However, this second resignation has further eroded the unity within the ruling coalition, a concerning development amid an upcoming electoral contest where cohesion is vital.
Furthermore, the potential for more defections looms, as another disenchanted candidate, Abdoulaye Daouda Diallo, the current President of the Economic, Social, and Environmental Council, has yet to make his intentions clear. Diallo, a significant figure within President Macky Sall’s party, the Alliance pour la République, met with the President on Monday. It is rumored that President Sall extended an offer for him to assume the role of Prime Minister in a revamped government.
On Tuesday, former Prime Minister Boun Abdalla Dionne also held discussions with the outgoing President. These efforts signify attempts to prevent further resignations and the potential disintegration of the ruling coalition just five months ahead of the presidential elections. The political landscape in Senegal is evolving rapidly as key figures make pivotal decisions in preparation for the upcoming electoral battle.