Senegal president appoints ex-economy minister as prime minister

DAKAR (Reuters) – Senegal President Macky Sall returned to the post of prime minister on Wednesday, appointing his former economy minister as prime minister.

Amadouva, a 61-year-old tax expert who has also served as foreign minister, has been named prime minister of the West African country, according to a statement from the president’s office.

Ba’s appointment re-establishes the position of prime minister in the West African country, which was abolished in April 2019.

“The main priorities outlined by the president include increasing household purchasing power, controlling inflation, security, housing, vocational training, employment and entrepreneurship,” Ba said after a meeting with Sall on Saturday. said on national television.

Late Sunday, the president appointed a new government that includes 38 ministers. Key ministers from the previous government were retained, including defense, home affairs, foreign affairs and finance.

A notable change is Oulimata Sarr, Regional Director of UN Women, who has been appointed Minister of Economy and Planning.

Earlier this week, Senegalese security forces were called in to secure the voting process in parliament and to stop rowdy opposition lawmakers who tried to interfere with the election of a new president in parliament. Parliament convened for the first time since the July elections.

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In 2012, Sal came to power after sacking longtime president Abdullah Wade. He was elected again in 2019, promising a major infrastructure expansion as he plans to start oil and gas production next year.

Much of his second term has been marked by financial difficulties. Part of that is due to the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Sal’s refusal to officially bar him from running in the 2024 third presidential election has heightened political tensions.

Violent protests erupted in Senegal last year when Ousman Sonko, the main opponent of Sal, who came third in the 2019 presidential election, was arrested on rape charges, which he denied. Did.

Sonko was released, but many protesters saw his arrest as Sall clearing out a prominent rival and clearing the way for a third term.

Reporting by Diadie Ba and Ngouda Dione. Additional reporting by Cooper Inveen. Written by Beit Felix. Edited by Louise Heavens, Helen Popper and Daniel Wallis

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