President Macky Sall made the announcement on Friday evening during an address to the nation, promising to unveil the list of the new government on Saturday, September 17 September.
“The measures to reduce the cost of living and support youth employment and entrepreneurship, the fight against floods, the high cost of rent will remain for me a top priority, because my concern is to do everything to make daily life more bearable for all. With this in mind, we are planning broad consultations with all the stakeholders, in particular consumer associations, traders, etc., to adopt new measures. This will be one of the priority tasks of the new government that I am preparing to form tomorrow,” President Sall said.
He added: “I am confident that we will pursue the dynamics of the Senegal we love; a united nation, where the passion and joy of living together bubble up unceasingly; a stronger and more prosperous nation, in peace, security and stability”.
Referring to the legislative elections of July 31, the Senegalese leader congratulated the state services, the control bodies, as well as the defence and security forces, for the perfect organisation of the poll, in the middle of the rainy season, only six months after the territorial elections.
“I associate civil society stakeholders and the media, whose active involvement contributed to the credibility of the electoral process. To the elected members of all political parties, I extend my warmest congratulations and best wishes for success in the exercise of their mandate. My thoughts are also with the unsuccessful candidates and outgoing members. The renewal of the elective mandate being the essence of democracy, the composition of the new national assembly reflects the freedom and plurality of our choices, but also our aspirations and hopes. This plural expression deserves to be listened to and respected.
”It reminds those who benefit from universal suffrage that in a democracy, power belongs to the people, and that the elective mandate is not a privilege, but a regularly scheduled duty, in the service of the common good,” said Sall.
He said he was sorry for the chaos that marked the installation of the 14th legislature on September 12.
“The distressing show that some people indulged in in the precincts of the National Assembly, destroying equipment, violating the sanctity of the premises and thus trampling on the provisions of the rules of procedure of the National Assembly is extremely serious, unworthy of a major democracy and unworthy of the people’s trust.
”This is certainly not what the citizens, who voted in a calm and transparent manner, expect from their representatives. We must beware. In a world exhausted by the tears of war, violence and extremism, we must appreciate how lucky we are to live in peace, security and stability. No one has the right to destroy this ancestral legacy, our common good. It is up to us to maintain it and pass it on to future generations, because men pass away, but the Senegalese nation remains,” said President Macky Sall.
TE/lb/as/APA