Senegal’s outgoing Leader Macky Sall congratulated opposition candidate Faye as his successor on Monday, hailing “a victory for Senegalese democracy.”
Sall, who did not stand after wins in 2012 and 2019, said he “salutes the smooth running of the election” and “congratulates the winner, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who the poll trends show as winning.”
Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s remarkable ascent marks the culmination of a tumultuous period in Senegalese politics, surprising many observers.
After months of imprisonment alongside his ally and influential figure Ousmane Sonko, they were unexpectedly released just a week before the presidential election. Now known as “Mr. Clean,” he faces the task of implementing the sweeping reforms he has pledged to undertake.
“Methodical” and “modest” are words often used to describe the tax collector, who celebrates his 44th birthday on Monday.
Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s impressive rise symbolises the end of a turbulent era in Senegalese politics, catching numerous observers off guard.
Following months of incarceration alongside his ally and influential figure Ousmane Sonko, their sudden release occurred just a week prior to the presidential election. Dubbed “Mr. Clean,” Faye now confronts the challenge of fulfilling the comprehensive reforms he has promised to enact.
“He’s never been a minister and wasn’t a statesman so critics question his lack of experience,” analyst Alioune Tine said.
“But, from Faye’s point of view, the insiders who’ve run the country since 1960 have made some catastrophic failures.”
Mr. Faye’s primary focus is on combating poverty, injustice, and corruption.
During his tenure at the Treasury, he and Mr. Sonko established a union taskforce aimed at addressing graft. Faye emphasises the need to renegotiate deals in gas, oil, fishing, and defence sectors to better serve the Senegalese populace. He advocates for a shift towards sovereignty and change, particularly in relations with France.
The president-elect of Senegal pledges to abandon the much-criticised CFA franc currency, which is tied to the euro and supported by France, in favour of a new Senegalese or regional West African currency. However, Mr. Faye acknowledges that this transition will pose significant challenges.
“He will have to deal with the reality of the budget to begin with… But I see that he has a lot of ambition,” former Prime Minister Aminata Touré, who served under outgoing President Macky Sall, said.
Strengthening judicial independence and creating jobs for Senegal’s large young population are also key priorities for Faye – neither of which “President Sall paid much attention to and it caught up with him”, Ms Touré adds.
Another significant endorsement for the 44-year-old comes from former President Abdoulaye Wade, who declared his support just two days prior to Sunday’s election.
This marks a notable change of fortune for Mr. Faye, who spent the past 11 months behind bars on insurrection charges and many years prior in the shadow of his ally.
