The official results of Sunday’s vote have not yet been published, but the victory of opponent Bassirou Diomaye Faye was recognized by his main rival in the first round.
A historic victory. Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the opposition candidate dubbed by the popular Ousmane Sonko, was recognized as the winner, Monday March 25, of the Senegalese presidential election, which was held on Sunday, by his main rival. “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”announced Amadou Ba, candidate of the presidential camp and foe of outgoing President Macky Sall.
The final verdict is expected by Friday. But according to provisional results, this is the first time that an opponent of the presidential camp has won in the first round in 12 elections by universal suffrage in Senegal. Bassirou Diomaye Faye, “plan B” of the opposition party Pastef (Popposition arti of African Patriots of Senegal for work, ethics and fraternity)competed in place of Ousmane Sonko, third in the presidential election in 2019.
The opposition leader’s candidacy was rejected by the Constitutional Council because of a series of legal proceedings, which he sees as a political conspiracy. Ousmane Sonko was sentenced in June 2023 to two years in prison for “debauchery of a minor”. Also arrested and charged in July for, among other things, “call to insurrection” and “conspiracy against the State”, he had been detained since this arrest, before being released at the same time as Bassirou Diomaye Faye.
Ousmane Sonko’s “younger brother”
Bassirou Diomaye Faye was still little known to the general public a few months ago. “It was when he was imprisoned that we started talking about him”, underlines Babacar Ndiaye, political analyst and director of research at the Wathi think tank in Dakar. This opponent, charged with “contempt of court”, “defamation” and “spreading false news” after publishing a message critical of justice, spent 11 months behind bars without being convicted, before being released on the 14th. March, 10 days before the election, thanks to an amnesty law adopted eight days earlier.
His notoriety exploded on January 29, when Ousmane Sonko insulted him by calling on his followers to vote for the one he described as “young brother”. “[Bassirou] Diomaye [Faye] is not a choice of heart but it is a choice of reason, we will achieve our goals if everyone supports it”, he declared in a video from Cap Manuel prison, south of Dakar.
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The two opponents have a very similar background. They went through the Senegal Normal School of Administration and the tax inspectorate, then union action and the management of Pastef. “These are two men who know each other well, who have the same profile”says Babacar Ndiaye.
“Bassirou Diomaye Faye is one of the architects of the project presented in 2024. If anyone knows the program well, it’s him.”
Babacar Ndiaye, political analyst in Senegalat franceinfo
The future president is considered less charismatic by the Senegalese as Ousmane Sonko. “But we have always recognized this meticulous and methodical side in coordinating the Pastef program”points out the political analyst.
A program centered on the sovereignty of Senegal
In his first speech after the recognition of his victory, Bassirou Diomaye Faye recalled that his “priority projects” would be “national reconciliation”there “refoundation of institutions” And “significant reduction in the cost of living”. He said to make a point of honor “to govern with humility, with transparency, to fight corruption at all scales”, in a country ranked only 73rd among the least corrupt states in 2023, according to the rating given by the NGO Transparency International (PDF file). On this point, the future president set himself as an example by being “the only candidate to make his declaration of assets public. It was received positively by the Senegalese”notes Babacar Ndiaye.
On the international relations side, Bassirou Diomaye Faye announced that Senegal “will stay[it] the friendly country and the safe and reliable ally of any partner who will engage[it] with us in a virtuous, respectful and mutually productive cooperation”, while making Senegal’s sovereignty a campaign argument.
“We will now be a sovereign, independent state, which will collaborate with everyone but in win-win partnerships.”
Ousmane Sonko, former boss of the opposition party Pastefduring a meeting during the campaign
The Pastef project also includes the reassessment of fishing agreements with foreign players, the development of agriculture to guarantee food security and the renegotiation of mining and hydrocarbon contracts, the start of exploitation of which is planned. during the year 2024.
This sovereignty is also embodied by a desire to “distance yourself from the former colonists, especially France”estimates Francis Kpatindé, lecturer at Sciences Po Paris and former editor-in-chief of Young Africa. “There will be discussions on the issues that irritate: the residue of the French military presence and the currency.” According to the French Ministry of the Armed Forces, 350 French soldiers are still deployed on Senegalese soil as part of the defense partnership signed in 2013. In February 2023, Emmanuel Macron announced that he would begin a reduction in France’s troops in Africa, including the presence is widely contested by part of the African population.
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On the currency side, Bassirou Diomaye Faye promised monetary reform, even the creation of a national currency in place of the CFA franc inherited from colonization, because “there is no real sovereignty if there is no monetary sovereignty”, he declared during the campaign. To exit the CFA franc, “the ideal would be to do it within the framework of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) with the eco”the single West African currency project which is slow to come to fruition, he specified in World. But if the project does not succeed, “we will have to consider taking our sovereignty alone”, explained Bassirou Diomaye Faye.
A president focused on youth
With this speech, the future president was able to reach young people, because “these are questions that speak to pan-African youth in search of sovereignty”, according to Francis Kpatindé. A crucial electorate to seduce in a country where 75% of the population is under 35: “This is the first time that such a young president has been elected [44 ans]. Next to him, the presidential camp candidate Amadou Ba is 62 years old. For young people, it’s easier to identify with Bassirou Diomaye Faye”says Babacar Ndiaye.
More globally, “Diomaye like Sonko are the incarnation of the future, where Amadou Ba is that of the old system”, continues the political analyst. The two opponents studied and worked in Senegal, unlike the former heads of state who passed through France. Macky Sall was trained at the French Petroleum Institute in Paris and Abdoulaye Wade, his predecessor, studied law in Besançon (Doubs) then Grenoble (Isère). “There is an umbilical link between the Senegalese elites and France”, explains Francis Kpatindé. A cord that Bassirou Diomaye Faye cuts by coming to power, with, according to the lecturer, a major ambition for young people: “Let them stay living and working in the country.”