(Ecofin Agency) - Senegalese President Macky Sall has appointed Sidiki Kaba as the new prime minister, freeing Amadou Ba to enter the presidential race scheduled for March 24, amid a backdrop of a controversial amnesty law.

Sidiki Kaba, formerly the Minister of the Interior, will take over as Prime Minister, replacing Amadou Ba, who is now a candidate in the presidential election set for March 24. Ba will have limited time to convince the majority of Senegalese voters that he is the right person to lead the country. He faces competition from seasoned presidential contenders like Idrissa Seck and notably Bassirou Diomaye Faye, seen as a substitute candidate for Ousmane Sonko.

On Wednesday night, March 6, 2024, a general amnesty law was passed, expected to enable Sonko to participate in the election. The legislation has sparked controversy, with a divided opposition regarding the issue. The final voting trends are not yet known.

Macky Sall has announced he will step down from the presidency. However, Ousmane Sonko, who has been a staunch opponent of Sall in recent years, will not be his successor. A decision made by the Constitutional Council on March 5, 2024, bars him from re-entering the race, as well as Karim Wade, whose candidacy rejection stirred complexities around the electoral process.

Now released from his duties, Amadou Ba, representing the Benno Bokk Yaakaar coalition, is set to plunge into the electoral battle in the coming days. In statements to various media, Ba expressed confidence that he would win the election in the first round.

To secure victory, he must win either in the first round on March 24 or in a potential second round scheduled for March 31, 2024. However, no modern presidential election in Senegal's democracy has ever been decided in the first round.