by Nurat Uthman
Official provisional results released late Wednesday by Senegal’s electoral officials showed that Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the nation’s president-elect won the March 24 elections with 54.28 percent of votes in the first round.
Faye’s main rival, former prime minister Amadou Ba, the candidate for the nation’s current governing coalition, garnered 35.79 percent of the votes, the provisional results showed.
Aliou Mamadou Dia, who came third out of 19 candidates officially on the list, won 2.8 percent of the vote, according to figures read out at the Dakar court by the president of the national vote counting commission, Amady Diouf.
Faye’s victory was clear after his opponents conceded and unofficial partial results were published. However, the margin of his victory was confirmed on Wednesday by the vote counting commission, which falls under Senegal’s judiciary.
The turnout for the 2024 presidential race was 61.3 percent – a statistic reflecting less people than those that voted in 2019 when outgoing President Macky Sall won his second term in office, but more than in 2012.
Faye, who won the presidential race 10-days after he was freed from prison, will officially be declared winner after his victory is validated by Senegal’s top constitutional body. This could happen in a few days.
Victory for the 44-year-old president-elect marks the first time since independence that a Senegalese opposition leader won the election in the first round.
Faye has received congratulations from his opponents, the outgoing president and the international community.
The African Union’s observation mission on Wednesday commended the “political and democratic maturity of the Senegalese people (and) the generally peaceful political atmosphere of the presidential election.”
U.S. officials echoed the AU’s sentiments.
In a statement released to the media, including VOA, on Wednesday, U.S. President Joe Biden said “I congratulate Bassirou Diomaye Faye on his election as the next president of Senegal.”
“I send warm wishes to the Senegalese people, who have demonstrated that the right to vote – and have that vote counted – remains democracy’s threshold liberty,” Biden added.
The U.S. leader said Washington looks forward to strengthening its relationship with Dakar under Faye’s leadership.
The congratulatory messages, coupled with the official provisional results seem to clear the way for a swift handover from Sall to Faye.
Presidential candidates who wish to challenge Faye’s victory have 72-hours after the results are finalized to lodge an appeal with the Constitutional Council.
Senegal’s constitution dictates that if no appeals are made in this period, “the Council shall immediately proclaim the final results of the ballot.” But if an objection is made, the body has five days to rule and could, in theory, annul the election.
Faye, who will for the first time hold an elected position, is set to become Senegal’s fifth president. He has promised to restore national “sovereignty” and implement a program of “left-wing Pan-Africanism.”
His election could herald a profound overhaul of Senegal’s institutions. On Monday, he pledged “to govern with humility, with transparency, and to fight corruption at all levels.” He also said he would prioritize “national reconciliation,” “rebuilding institutions” and “significantly reducing the cost of living.”
While speaking on his approach towards foreign relations, Faye said his government “will remain a friendly country and a sure and reliable ally for any partner that engages with us in virtuous, respectful and mutually productive cooperation.”
