President Macky Sall was born on December 11, 1961 in Fatick, the town where he served as mayor from 2009 to 2012. President Sall, trained as a geologist, was Prime Minister for three years from 2004 to 2007, and also acted as President of the Senegalese National Assembly from 2007 to 2008. Mr. Sall, who was elected the fourth President of the Republic of Senegal in March of 2012, took office on April 2, 2012. Married to Marième Faye, President Macky Sall has two sons and one daughter. He is a member of important national and international geologist and geophysicist associations.
He served as the longest tenure Prime Minister in office under the acting President between 2004 and 2007.
On June 20, 2007, Macky Sall was overwhelmingly elected President of the National Assembly. The Vice-Presidential position of the PDS was abolished and the term of office of the National Assembly President was reduced from five years to one year. He left that office in 2008.
In 2010, according to an opinion poll, he was leading the presidential race in Dakar and in his own region. Mr. Sall understands and speaks Wolof, Serer, Pulaar, French and English. In the 2012 presidential contest, Macky Sall took second place in the first round, with 26.58% of the votes against 34.81% for the incumbent President Wade. He, however, won the run-off election on March 25, 2012, against with 65.80% of the votes against 34.20% for the incumbent.
Faithful to his promise to reduce government expenses, President Sall removed certain ministerial privileges and abolished 59 commissions and directorates deemed unnecessary.
To help reduce living costs, the government announced a price reduction for oil, rice, and sugar. Retirement pensions were raised and peasants received emergency subsidies. His government’s foreign policy focused on renewing traditional alliances and allowing Senegal to regain an important diplomatic role in Africa.
As a leader concerned with his country’s development, and devoted to ensuring a transparent management of the country, President Macky Sall is viewed as the symbol of a new generation in Senegal’s politics as well as in the African continent.
