Senegal: ‘Bassirou Diomaye Faye has changed the game’ – Shehu Sani

Bassirou Diomaye Faye has been elected as the new president of Senegal. The 44-year-old opposition leader Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who is relatively unknown, received congratulations from Macky Sall, the incumbent president of Senegal, on Monday, March 25. Less than two weeks after being freed from prison to contest the election, he is expected to become the country’s next president in West Africa.

The presidential election took place on Sunday, March 24, and had its provisional official results released. With an astounding 54.28% of the vote, Bassirou Diomaye Faye emerged victorious. The National Vote Counting Commission issued this declaration on Wednesday, March 27, signaling a pivotal point in the nation’s political history.

Amadou Ba, who received 35.79% of the vote and is ranked second, is not far behind Faye. Idrissa Seck with 0.9%, Khalifa Sall with 1.56%, and Aliou Mamadou Dia with 2.8% all lag well behind. The 61.3% voter participation in this election shows that Senegalese citizens are very engaged in their government.

Considering that Bassirou Diomaye Faye has never held a national electoral office before, he is poised to become Senegal’s youngest president at the age of 44. His opponents have conceded the victory, indicating a moment of harmony and acceptance in the nation’s political arena.

There were obstacles in Faye’s path to the president. He spent eleven months in prison with Ousmane Sonko before the election; on March 14, he was freed on the basis of an amnesty decree signed by President Macky Sall. Faye didn’t waste any time in starting an aggressive nationwide election campaign, which culminated in a farewell gathering in Mbour, the area of his birth.

In his post-victory speech, Faye pledged to govern with openness and humility. “I promise to fight corruption at all levels and to govern with humility and transparency,” he declared. I promise to give rebuilding our institutions my whole attention”.

He also received congratulations from President Sall, his rivals, and many other nations, underscoring the importance of his victory on a global scale. Faye is a politician from central Senegal who is not well recognized. He worked as a tax inspector. He follows Islam as a religion.

The National Vote Counting Commission has declared the preliminary official results; however, the Constitutional Council will ultimately validate and declare the results. 

Many has reacted to Faye’s win in the presidential election and one of which is former Nigerian Senator, Shehu Sani. He said the newly elected president has altered the course of rules.

Reacting to his victory at the polls, Sani posted on X: “When Mbappe requested to play for Cameroon, they demanded money from him & then France gave him the opportunity to play for France.

“If he chooses to identify himself as French & not Cameroonian, he is right. Those who were with you in your moment of trials or need are your true friends.

“The new President of Senegal has changed the rule; behind every successful man there are two women.”