By Edward Francis Dalliah
Coming out of prison days before the election, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, became Senegal’s youngest-ever President on his birthday, Sunday 25th March 2024. According to Senegalese TV Network TFM, their tabulated election result shows that Mr Faye won 57% of the total votes cast.
The hotly contested election featured 19 candidates, including a mayor, a journalist a female, and others. Among them is President Macky Sall’s candidate Amadou Ba the former prime minister, he contested via a coalition ticket “Benno Bokk Yakaar” (BBY), and came in second place with 31% of the votes cast.
Appearing before the press for his first public declaration, President-elect Faye started his address by thanking God, the voters, and the candidates who contested the election. In his statement, he highlighted his appreciation for the congratulatory calls and messages he received from his competitors and lauded their mature reactions which demonstrate their leadership qualities.
Thanking the outgoing President Macky Sall he said his “stand in the past weeks is what brought about the election” and in addition paid tribute to those who lost their lives and to others who were wounded during civil unrest that affected the nation.
Born on 25th March 1980, President-elect Faye was a tax inspector before venturing into the political arena shortly after Ousman Sonko formed his party the African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity (PASTEF) in 2014 where he became one of the most prominent figures within the party. After Sonko was accused of rape and arrested in 2021, he mounted the position of general secretary of the party and worked hard to keep the party alive.
However, in April last year, Faye was arrested in Dakar and placed under police custody where he was charged with the counts of spreading false news and defamation among others. His arrest and Sonko’s triggered a series of protests which were met with brutal force by the authorities resulting in the loss of almost 20 lives.
At the end of February 2024, after a national dialogue was held in response to the protest against the postponement of the election and other issues, President Macky Sall announced that he would release both Faye and Sonko among others who were in prison and this was done after an amnesty bill was tabled in parliament.
During his campaign, President-elect Faye promised to fight corruption, create youth employment, and re-examine the energy contracts signed. In addition, he promised to reduce the powers of the president, re-introduce the position of the vice presidency, and reform the country’s currency stating his government “would carry out a monetary reform that will allow our country to have its currency.”
Gambian President Adama Barrow issued a statement congratulating President-Elect Diomaye Faye yesterday and reassured his commitment “to further strengthen the enduring bonds of friendship and place our bilateral relations on a covenant beneficial to the peoples of our two countries for shared prosperity and growth”.