World Courant
Presidential elections happened in Senegal on Sunday, March 24. Bassirou Diomaye Faye, 44, is said the winner. However his rise to the presidency is the largest plot twist on this run-in. Simply ten days earlier than the election, Faye was nonetheless imprisoned in Cap Manuel jail on the southern outskirts of Dakar. A number of months in the past he was a comparatively unknown determine outdoors his opposition occasion PASTEF. Authorities had disbanded PASTEF in 2023, three months after Faye’s arrest. However now he’ll spend the following 5 years in Senegal’s presidential palace because the nation’s youngest-ever head of state.
In accordance with official outcomes from the Nationwide Vote Counting Fee, Faye gained with 54.28% of the whole votes on Wednesday, March 27. His foremost opponent, Amadou Ba, had 35.79%. The remainder lagged a lot additional behind.
Faye’s opponents have already conceded. “Given the tendencies within the presidential election outcomes and pending the official proclamation, I congratulate President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye on his victory within the first spherical.” mentioned Amadou Ba. Shortly afterwards, President Macky Sall despatched his congratulations on Twitter (X).
Years of political unrest have introduced the West African state’s democracy to the brink of collapse, with lethal uprisings and the jailing of opposition figures widespread. In February, Sall unnerved the nation by abruptly suspending the election. It took protests and the intervention of the Constitutional Courtroom to overturn that call. However Faye’s victory has energized the inhabitants, particularly the youth, together with his promise of radical change.
All the things modified for Faye when his occasion’s charismatic chief, Ousmane Sonko, who was additionally detained, was charged with rebel in July and barred from working within the elections to succeed President Macky Sall. He was a ‘plan B’, supposed to compensate for Sonko’s introduced absence. And he was not the one one enjoying the function of deputy, as Sonko had additionally despatched Cheikh Tidiane Dièye and Habib Sy to submit their candidacy to make sure his concepts can be represented.
Nevertheless, Faye grew to become the favored selection as he was Sonko’s closest alternative. This gave rise to the slogan: “Diomaye moy Sonko, Sonko moy Diomaye” (“Diomaye is Sonko, Sonko is Diomaye,” in Wolof) which was sung amongst occasion members. The slogan was their method of creating Faye standard among the many nation. And it labored. On the evening of his launch together with Sonko (due to a last-minute amnesty legislation), the gang sang the slogan in unison. It was the beginning of ten quick days of election campaigning for a candidate who had by no means been elected earlier than.
Faye solid himself as a Pan-Africanist who needs to steer Senegal towards financial sovereignty and away from French colonial relics such because the West African CFA franc, a forex pegged to the euro. He has additionally pledged to overtake the federal government, root out corruption and enhance transparency. At 44, Senegal’s youth see him as a recognizable determine whose values are impressed by a conventional village upbringing and a dedication to Islam.
Not everybody agrees together with his left-wing populist ideologies. Pastef’s critics condemn the occasion for selling what they are saying are reckless insurance policies that might sink Senegal’s economic system, particularly its nascent oil and fuel business, and incite “rebellious actions.” However the incumbent occasion has additionally not gained confidence.
Sall has additionally been criticized for prioritizing overseas pursuits and corporations over native entities, and opponents blame him for prime youth unemployment and the associated migration disaster, which has reached file ranges in recent times. Greater than 60% of Senegal’s inhabitants is youthful than 25 years outdated.
In actual fact, Sall’s recognition amongst Senegalese youth fell to a brand new low throughout his second time period when he started jailing opposition figures. His ambiguous place on whether or not he would resign on the finish of his mandate led to violent clashes between demonstrators and gendarmes. Greater than 60 individuals have been killed in protests since 2021, in keeping with rights teams.
In his first speech as president-elect, Faye sought to reassure worldwide companions as his ideologies concern them. “I wish to say to the worldwide group and our bilateral and multilateral companions that Senegal will at all times maintain its floor and stay the pleasant nation and dependable ally of any accomplice who enters right into a virtuous, respectful and mutually productive cooperation with us. ,” he mentioned.
The nation needs to start out exploiting oil and fuel quickly. So it wants these traders and donors on its facet. Most of them will observe the brand new authorities cautiously.
What does Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s fairytale victory imply for Senegal?
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