International

Senegal’s president appoints former economy minister as PM

By Ngouda Dione and Diadie Ba

DAKAR (Reuters) -Senegalese President Macky Sall reinstated the publish of prime minister on Saturday, appointing a former financial system minister to the job two months after a tense legislative election during which Sall’s ruling coalition misplaced its snug majority.

Amadou Ba, a 61-year-old taxation specialist who has additionally served as international minister, was named because the West African nation’s prime minister, a press release from the presidency stated.

Ba’s appointment re-establishes the place of prime minister within the West African nation following its abolition in April 2019.

“The main priorities that the president has outlined embrace enhancing family buying energy, taming inflation, safety, housing, vocational coaching, employment and entrepreneurship,” Ba stated on nationwide tv after a gathering with Sall on Saturday.

Late on Sunday, the president appointed a brand new authorities that included 38 ministers. Key ministers from the earlier authorities together with defence, inside, international affairs and finance, had been maintained.

A notable change was Oulimata Sarr, regional director of UN Ladies, who was appointed minister of financial system and planning.

Earlier this week, Senegal’s safety forces had been referred to as to safe a voting course of in parliament and maintain again rowdy opposition members of parliament who tried to disrupt the election of a brand new president of the nationwide meeting. The meeting was convening for the primary time since July’s election.

Sall got here to energy in 2012 after unseating long-time President Abdoulaye Wade. He was elected once more in 2019 on guarantees of large-scale infrastructure enlargement because the nation is about to start out producing oil and pure gasoline subsequent yr.

A lot of his second time period has been marked by financial hardship – partly stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and international fallout linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Political tensions have boiled over Sall’s refusal to publicly rule out a third-term presidential bid in 2024.

Violent protests erupted in Senegal final yr when Ousmane Sonko, Sall’s most important opponent who got here third within the 2019 presidential election, was arrested on rape prices which he denied.

Sonko was launched however many protesters noticed his arrest as an try by Sall to take away a outstanding rival and clear his path for a 3rd time period bid.

(Reporting by Diadie Ba and Ngouda Dione; Further reporting by Cooper Inveen; Writing by Bate Felix; Enhancing by Louise Heavens, Helen Popper and Daniel Wallis)



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