Senegal's President Macky Sall has announced that he aims to fix a date before the end of July for the presidential elections. He also announced a general amnesty for political protesters.
"My desire and my dearest wish is to hold the presidential election as soon as possible, and to do so before the coming winter [rainy season], and in peace," he said.
"If we reach a consensus, I will set the date for the election," Sall said late on Monday while concluding the first of two days of the national dialogue.
"Otherwise, I will ask the Constitutional Council to find me a replacement on April 2," Sall added.
Voters have been waiting for the announcement of a new timeframe for the polls, which were postponed by Sall on 3 February.
Protests erupted across the country over the weekend with many people turning up at voting stations to post fake symbolic votes.
At least least four people have been killed in violence since the elections were cancelled.
Amnesty and reconciliation
Sall also announced, in a gesture of appeasement, a general amnesty for prisoners.
"In a spirit of national reconciliation, I will put before the National Assembly this Wednesday in the council of ministers a bill for a general amnesty for acts relating to political demonstrations that took place between 2021 and 2024," President Sall said.
"This will make it possible to pacify the political arena and further strengthen our national cohesion," he added.
Up to one thousand opposition members have also been arrested in Senegal since 2021 amid the power struggle between opposition leader Ousmane Sonko and the state.
The amnesty could see the release of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko who was excluded from the race, and his handpicked successor Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who are both in detention.
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On Thursday last week, he had reiterated his commitment to stepping down when his term officially expires on 2 April.
"In convening this dialogue, I have only one concern -- to find a consensus on the date of the next presidential election so that the ballot can take place under the best possible conditions," Sall said.
'Theatre'
The talks, organised as part of a reconciliation dialogue, set in Diamniadio, 30 km away from Dakar, were largely boycotted by the 19 presidential candidates with 17 refusing to attend.
Prime Minister, Amadou Ba, the candidate of the majority was one of those that turned up
Participants also included political parties, civil society and traditional and religious organisations.
Constitutional judge Cheikh Tidiane Dieye described the "national dialogue" as "theatre" that the head of state "could have organised at the Grand Théâtre" in Dakar.
The gap between the end of his mandate and a potential July election would leave a vacuum of power that the Constitution does not permit, as all experts have told RFI.
The citizen collective Aar Sunu Election ("Let's preserve our election") is still calling for a "Day of Ghost Towns" across the country and a general strike for Tuesday.
This front is concerned about the consequences of a vacancy in the presidency without an established succession.
(with newswires)
