Sall had plunged Senegal into one of its worst crises in decades with after a last-minute postponement of the election, originally scheduled for February 25.
The vote delay triggered widespread outcry at home and abroad and unleashed protests which left four people dead.
The traditionally stable West African nation is now embarking again on what is perhaps its most open presidential vote in modern history.
For the first time in Senegal’s history, the incumbent is not on the ballot. His hand-picked successor, Prime Minister Amadou Ba, who was relieved of his duties on Wednesday ahead of the campaigning, is among 19 candidates cleared by the nation’s constitutional council to run.
To avoid a runoff, a candidate must secure over 50% of the vote. Campaigning is likely to start in the coming days.
Here are the profiles of the main contenders:
Prime Minister Amadou Ba
A former economy and foreign minister, Ba, 62, was named prime minister in September 2022. He ran the taxation directorate before launching his political career.
FILE - Senegal's Foreign Affairs minister Amadou Ba attends a press conference at the Presidential Palace, in Dakar, on February 16, 2020.
Sall picked him as the ruling Benno Bokk Yakaar (BBY) coalition's candidate after a party-wide consultation process. The outgoing president said at the time that Ba would be a unifying figure.
Former Dakar Mayor Khalifa Ababacar Sall
FILE — Dakar's mayor and head of the African Union’s observation team Khalifa Ababacar Sall speaks during a press conference, on March 13, 2011 in Niamey after Saturday's presidential runoff.
Sall, 68, unrelated to the president, served as mayor of the capital Dakar from 2009 to 2018. He was one of President Macky Sall’s chief political rivals and was arrested in March 2017 on suspicion of embezzling about $3 million in public funds.
In 2018, Sall was sentenced to five years in jail, preventing him from contesting the February 2019 presidential election. He was pardoned by the president in September 2019.
Former Prime Minister Idrissa Seck
FILE — Idrissa Seck, president of the Rewmi party and candidate for the 2019 Senegal presidential election, is pictured during a press conference of the opposition at the headquarters of the liberal Bokk Gis Gis (BGG) party in Dakar on January 15, 2019.
Seck, 64, served as prime minister from 2002 to 2004 in the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS) under former President Abdoulaye Wade.
He was sacked over embezzlement allegations and spent some months in jail before his case was dismissed. In 2006, he founded his own party and challenged Wade in 2007, finishing second. He ran again in 2012 but did not make it to the second round.
Anta Babacar Ngom
FILE — Senegal presidential candidate, Anta Babacar Ngom, speaks during an interview with Reuters as she sits at her house in Dakar, on February 7, 2024.
Ngom, 39, is an entrepreneur and a political newcomer. He launched the Alternative for the Next Generation of Citizens (ARC) political movement in August 2023.
The daughter of the founding president of Sedima, a leading poultry production group in West and Central Africa, she was until recently executive director of the company, which also operates Senegal's Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises.
Former Prime Minister Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne
FILE — Senegalese Prime Minister Mahammed Buon Abdallah Dionne speaks during a ceremony where he announced the re-election of President Macky Sal, in Dakar, on February 25, 2019.
Dionne, 64, was President Sall's third prime minister, from 2014 to 2019. He was seen as one of the frontrunners in the race to succeed the outgoing president within the BBY coalition.
An early supporter and ally of Sall before he became president, Dionne held several positions during the president’s two terms in office including chief of staff at his office.
He announced his candidacy in September 2023 and launched his own coalition days after Sall selected Ba as the candidate for the ruling coalition.
Former Minister Aly Ngouille Ndiaye
Aly Ngouille Ndiaye, a Senegalese Presidential candidate. Courtesy X: @Aly_Ngouille
Ndiaye, 59, is a former close ally of President Sall and top member of the BBY coalition. He left the coalition and resigned as minister and launched his own bid weeks after Ba was selected as the BBY candidate.
Ndiaye is the mayor of the town of Linguere. A civil engineer and former bank executive, he served as energy and interior minister before taking over the agriculture portfolio.
Bassirou Diomaye Faye
Bassirou Diomaye FAYE - opposition candidate
Faye, a 43-year-old tax inspector, is running in place of jailed Senegalese opposition firebrand Ousmane Sonko who was disqualified over a defamation conviction.
Members of Sonko's dissolved the Pastef party, and other parties formed a coalition and named him in November as a back-up candidate. Sonko later called for his supporters to vote for the opposition leader.
Like Sonko, Faye is currently in detention, facing charges including defamation and contempt of court. He remains eligible because there has been no ruling yet against him.
Some information from this article was sourced from Reuters and Agence France-Presse.