The anti-system opponent Bassirou Diomaye Faye, still in prison ten days ago, will become the president of Senegal after the recognition on Monday by his main opponent of a victory in the first round of the presidential election which is akin to a political earthquake.
Mr. Faye, 44, never before held a national elective office, will become the fifth president of this West African country of 18 million inhabitants, and the youngest in its history.
He was clearly the winner after the counting of the votes, but his victory remained pending recognition by the government candidate Amadou Ba, in the absence of official publication of the results, which should take a few more days.
Mr. Ba admitted defeat on Monday.
“In view of the trends in the results of the presidential election and while awaiting the official proclamation, I congratulate President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye for his victory in the first round,” he said in a statement.
Government spokesperson Abdou Karim Fofana indicated for his part that Mr. Ba had called his opponent to congratulate him. After three years of agitation and crisis, the Senegalese know the name of their next head of state following a vote on Sunday which decided between continuity and perhaps radical change.
“I pray to the Almighty to grant him the energy and strength necessary to assume this high office at the head of our country,” Mr. Ba said in his statement.
The provisional results published in the media and on social networks placed the candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye clearly ahead of the one in power and very far ahead of the others.
Newspapers proclaimed Mr. Faye’s victory on their front pages on Monday. “Diomaye the plebiscite”, headlinesObserver. “Happy Birthday Mister President” poster Walf Daily.
His victory “is almost achieved because from what we see, from the figures that have just come out there, I tell you that there will be no second round,” rejoiced Serigne Aïssanine in advance. , youth coordinator of the Diomaye President coalition.
“It’s a total revolution. Everything will change. On the behavioral side, on the social side, on the financial side, everything will change,” declares Coumba Diallo known as “Queen Biz”, a singer who supports Mr. Faye.
At least ten of the 17 candidates congratulated Mr. Faye in view of the provisional results published by the media. The certainty of victory triggered scenes of jubilation among his sympathizers in the capital and Casamance.
“Breakup”
A victory for Mr. Faye could herald a profound systemic challenge, not only because he becomes the youngest president of Senegal since independence from France in 1960.
Mr. Faye, benefiting from an amnesty law, came out of eleven months of imprisonment ten days before the election, at the same time as his guide and leader of their dissolved party Ousmane Sonko.
Mr. Faye wants to be the “candidate for system change” and “left-wing Pan-Africanism”. His program insists on the reestablishment of national “sovereignty”, which he believes has been sold off abroad. He promised to fight corruption and better distribute wealth, and also pledged to renegotiate mining, gas and oil contracts concluded with foreign companies.
Senegal could start producing gas and oil in 2024.
The election was closely followed, with Senegal considered one of the most stable countries in West Africa shaken by putsch. Dakar maintains strong relations with the West, while Russia strengthens its surrounding positions.
Since 2021, Senegal has experienced various episodes of unrest caused by the standoff between Ousmane Sonko and the government, combined with social tensions.
The country plunged into one of its most serious crises in decades when President Sall decreed on February 3 a postponement of the presidential election scheduled for three weeks later.
The unrest has left dozens dead in three years and led to hundreds of arrests.
Both camps blame each other for these events which have altered the Senegalese democratic showcase. Mr. Faye promised “the break” by voting alongside his two wives on Sunday in his village of Ndiaganiao.
Mr. Ba, who until a few weeks ago was President Sall’s prime minister, posed as a guarantor of stability. He had to take on all aspects of President Sall’s legacy: the major works that transformed the face of Senegal, but also persistent poverty, high unemployment, and the hundreds of arrests in the recent period.