Senegal’s New President-Elect Bassirou Faye right, won last Sunday’s election in the first round, even before the results were out. He defeated his former boss, anointed government candidate, Amadou Ba, left, who was the former Prime Minister to President Sall

 Abubakar Hashim

Senegal’s new 5th President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, 44, who was imprisoned by President Macky Sall, but was released two weeks before last Sunday’s elections, emerged victorious for 3 strategically related reasons:

1. Faye, got the landslide victory from the overwhelming support of colleague prisoner and leftist radical, Ousmane Sonko. The two were detained by President Sall, whose two-term tenure will end on 2 April 2024. Faye won the elections on the popularity of Sonko, who was barred from contesting last Sunday’s elections by President Sall for trumped-up charges. Sonko emerged 3rd in the 2019 elections when Sall emerged 2nd term President.
2. ⁠Faye, also emerged victorious in the first round, due to the united Senegalese support for change, resulting from high unemployment and hyperinflation rates. Senegal also has the highest rate of illicit migration through the Mediterranean high seas to Europe. The capital, Dakar, sits on the tip of the West Coast and its equidistance to Europe is the shortest route from West Africa to Europe.
3. ⁠ The National Electoral Commission CENA did a fantastic job. The commission managed the electoral process according to the rules of engagement, similarly done in neighbouring Liberia, where Joseph Boakai defeated George Weah. In a way, Senegal and Liberia have restored the democratic dent in West Africa, widely known as the “ coup zone” of Africa. In both Senegal and Liberia, the opposition won the elections, with the people voting in anger and exasperation, to change respective sitting governments, widely known for corruption and maladministration.

Almost all the 17 presidential candidates in last Sunday’s elections in Senegal have congratulated President-Elect Faye, including incumbent President Sall, despite the counting of votes is still ongoing in Senegal’s 14 regions.

So far, Faye has received 57% of the votes so far counted, against the runner-up, Ba, with 31%. This compelled Ba to congratulate Faye, even before the final results were out. Senegal’s constitution stipulates 50% plus, to emerge winner in the first round in a presidential election. Faye has already got 57% so far.

Final results will be announced tomorrow Wednesday 27 March 2024, by the Appeal Court of Senegal, validated by the Constitutional Council, if no objections or litigations are raised by any presidential candidate. Already, Faye has received overwhelming congratulatory calls from virtually all the candidates, including Ba and President Sall.

The Constitutional Council has the final say on electoral issues, while the election management body , CEMA, manages the electoral process.

President Macky Sall will officially hand over to President-Elect, Bassirou Faye, a former Tax Inspector, who defeated his former boss, Amadou Ba, as Senegal’s new 5th and youngest President, on 2 April 2024.

Abubakar Hashim is the West Africa Bureau Chief of TheNEWS Magazine