- Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the opposition candidate who had been imprisoned in Senegal, took the oath of office on Tuesday to become the nation’s fifth and youngest president. In the first round of voting, Faye, a former tax inspector, easily defeated Amadou Ba, the candidate of the ruling coalition of outgoing President Macky Sall, underscoring the huge expectations for change in the roughly 18 million-person nation. After three years of extraordinary political unrest in Senegal that sparked fears of democratic backsliding in the coup-prone area of West Africa, the peaceful transfer was a great relief.
- After three years of extraordinary political unrest in Senegal that sparked fears of democratic backsliding in the coup-prone area of West Africa, the peaceful transfer was a great relief. Faye pledged to develop the economy and do business in an ethical manner. Following failed attempts by Sall’s government to move the election from February to December and then June, it finally took place on March 24.
- Resentment of Sall, whose popularity declined during his second mandate as a result of adverse economic conditions, a crackdown on dissent, and worries that he may alter the constitution in order to seek a third term. Ousmane Sonko, the fiery opposition leader who finished third in the 2019 election but was disqualified from running again after being found guilty of defamation, was the target of intense anger over his trial. He refutes any misconduct.
- Days before the election, the two were made public, leading to widespread street celebrations and their popular tandem’s entry into the campaign trail with the tagline “Diomaye is Sonko.” Expectations are high when Faye takes office as president of a youthful populace irritated by growing living expenses and joblessness in a nation that is poised to become a producer of oil and gas this year.
- Renegotiating contracts for oil, gas, and minerals with foreign operators is just one of the economic changes the incoming president has promised to prioritize above corruption. Former opposition candidate Basero Jamaica took office as president of Senegal, but he has not yet said what position Sonko will hold in the new administration.
Source:
Reuters
