the young president participates in the renewal of the political landscape of Africa

Invested on Tuesday after a victory in the first round on Sunday March 24, the new president Bassirou Diomaye Faye represents a new generation facing presidents who have been in power for a long time, as in Ivory Coast. Our correspondents on site tell the story.

Brought to the presidency in the first round, Sunday March 24, by the voters’ desire for change, the youngest president in the history of Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, 44, faces from his inauguration, Tuesday April 2, considerable challenges. He declared to be “aware that the results coming out of the polls express a deep desire for systemic change” for the construction of a just and prosperous Senegal. The new Senegalese president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, officially began his mandate on Tuesday April 2, during a ceremony in the presence of several African heads of state.

Among the assembly, the representative of Côte d’Ivoire was nevertheless only its vice-president. Seeming little at ease in the face of such democratic momentum, President Alassane Ouattara, still very popular in his country despite an opposition contesting his power, is perhaps seeing the rise of a new generation of politicians.

A program focusing on prices, unemployment and sovereignty

The expectations of the Senegalese regarding the mandate of this new president live up to the promises, that is to say, very high. In his program, Bassirou Diomaye Faye has already mentioned several priority projects. First, the drop in the cost of living, while the prices of basic necessities are soaring in the country. Then, he promised the creation of jobs for young people, in a country which suffers from an unemployment rate of 20%, where three quarters of the population are under 35, and with more and more young people who take the path of illegal emigration towards Europe. Then he talked about the fight against corruption and food sovereignty.

Bassirou Diomaye Faye also insisted on his desire to restore sovereignty “sold off abroad”, which could involve a reform of the CFA franc. While reassuring donors of Senegal’s intentions to remain a secure and reliable ally, he has already spoken of wanting to renegotiate fishing agreements, as well as oil and gas contracts. The country is in fact preparing to become a hydrocarbon producer this year.

Tax reforms and taxes on foreign companies

Implementing all of this may not be realistic; the room for maneuver will be complicated while Senegal is one of the most indebted countries in Africa, with a debt of more than 75% of GDP. But he intends to mobilize resources through tax reforms and better control of tax payments, particularly from foreign companies. The other solution is also to spend less on infrastructure than what was done under the two mandates of outgoing President Macky Sall. The other big challenge is in the National Assembly, where he does not have a majority. We will see if he will be forced to dissolve it in order to be able to govern and implement the promised reforms.

As for his contacts with France, he recalled, in an interview given just before his election, the “very good relationship” between Senegal and France. He nevertheless explained that it was not necessary to pursue a “neocolonialism” who maintains a relationship of dependence. He therefore invoked the desire to create balanced, respectful and win-win relationships, which meet their aspirations for sovereignty. According to a Western diplomatic source, there are some uncertainties – rather than worry – particularly on the economic level while waiting to see what the first flagship measures will be implemented.

In Ivory Coast, the old power watches the new generation of politicians rise

Ivory Coast welcomes the election as head of state of the young Senegalese president in a mixed manner. This is not necessarily good news for the Ivorian government, in several respects. Moreover, certain details are not misleading: it was the vice-president who represented Côte d’Ivoire during the inauguration of Bassirou Diomaye Faye and not Alassane Ouattara himself.

The Ivorian president also waited until March 26, a day after the unsuccessful candidate Amadou Ba admitted his defeat, to congratulate his Senegalese counterpart. “I look forward to continuing with him the excellent relations of friendship and brotherhood between Ivory Coast and Senegal”he indicated on the social network X, before adding in another message: “I also congratulate the brotherly people of Senegal who have once again demonstrated their attachment to democracy.” However, it is precisely on this point that the Ivorian president suffers from the comparison with Bassirou Diomaye Faye, 38 years his junior.

Ivorian democracy is dysfunctional, the Ivorian president is accused of having violated the Constitution to stay in power in 2020, when he was elected with 94.7% of the votes. The entire opposition then decided to boycott the vote. Symbolically, the Ivorian president, an octogenarian, whose legitimacy is contested by part of the population, and ideologically anchored to the right, therefore finds himself facing a young left-wing president, well elected and who embodies a new generation of young politicians. This state of affairs could revive debates on state management in Côte d’Ivoire, even if Alassane Ouattara still enjoys significant popularity in Côte d’Ivoire.

Sub-regional files and ECOWAS

With Macky Sall, Alassane Ouattara knew that he could count on a strong ally within ECOWAS. With the election of Diomaye Faye, the balance could be different. Moreover, the new Senegalese president indicated a few moments after the announcement of his victory that it would be necessary “correct weaknesses” of ECOWAS, “by changing certain methods, strategies and political priorities”. He does not cite anyone but we can suspect that the Ivorian leadership is singled out in this message. This summer, ECOWAS threatened Niger with military intervention, in an episode which sparked a torrent of negative comments. The interstate institution was trying to react, powerlessly, to the military coup in Niamey last August. The Senegalese president wants to work for the return of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to ECOWAS. Côte d’Ivoire will certainly have to align, because this position will already prevail in the sub-regional body.