According to provisional official results, Basirou Diomay Faye was elected with 54.28% of the vote.

Published on: 03/27/2024 – 8:06 pmModified: 03/27/2024 – 9:16 pm

4 minutes

Senegalese challenger Bassirou Diomay Faye won the first round of presidential elections with a majority of 54.28% of the vote, far ahead of government candidate Amadou Ba (35.79%), provisional final results announced on Wednesday 27 March showed.

Third, Aliou Mamadou Diya, the candidate of the Unity and Rally Party, received only 2.8% of the vote, according to figures released by the president of the National Votes Census Commission, Amedy Diouf, at the Dakar Court.

The victory of the anti-establishment opposition, who was jailed for ten days before Sunday’s election, must now be ratified by the Constitutional Council, which could happen within days, depending on a possible appeal.

This will be the first time since Senegal’s independence in 1960 that an opponent has won in the first round.

Also readSenegal: How to explain Basirou Diomay Faye’s victory in the first round?

This victory was already understood after the unofficial publication of partial results. The publication by the National Voting Census Commission, under the jurisdiction of Justice, confirms the extent of this.

The participation was 61.30%. This is less than in 2019, when outgoing President Mackie Sale won a second term, also in the first round, but more than in 2012.

This quick declaration seems to clear the way for a transfer of power between Mackey Sale and his successor.

A serious political crisis caused by the last-minute postponement of the presidential election in February and the tightening of the calendar with the setting of a new date of March 24 have raised doubts about the possibility of investment before the official expiration of the government mandate. President Sal, 2 April.

This timely transfer, crucial in a country that prides itself on its democratic practices, now appears realistic, although the results do not give rise to a challenge before the Constitutional Council.

A candidate has 72 hours to file an appeal before the Constitutional Council after the announcement by the National Commission. In the absence of a dispute within these three days, “the Council immediately declares the final results of the vote”, the constitution says.

But in case of objection, the council has five days to take a decision, and the handover before April 2 can be called into question.

A reassuring speech

44-year-old Basirou Diomey Faye, who has never held national elective office before, is expected to become the fifth and youngest president of the West African country of 18 million people. His opponents recognized his victory.

His election was preceded by three years of tension and unrest. Senegal, known as one of the most stable countries in West Africa, experienced a new crisis in February when President Sal ordered the postponement of elections. Dozens of people have been killed and hundreds arrested since 2021, and Senegal’s democratic credentials have been scrutinized in a new light.

Basirou Diomey Faye was detained for months before his release in mid-March in the middle of the election campaign.

After weeks of confusion, Senegalese went to the polls on Sunday. International observers praised the smooth running of the operation.

The African Union observation mission praised the “democratic maturity of the Senegalese people (and) the overall peaceful atmosphere of the presidential election” in a press release.

Basirou Diomaye Faye presents himself as a man of “disintegration”, the restoration of national “sovereignty” sold abroad according to him, and “left Pan-Africanism”. His election may suggest a deeper systemic challenge.

Also readBasirou Diomey Faye, close to Sonko, on the verge of becoming Senegal’s youngest president

He is committed to “fighting corruption with humility, transparency” at all levels, he declared on Monday during his first post-election public appearance.

He stated “national reconciliation”, “rehabilitation” of institutions and “significant reduction in the cost of living” as his “priority projects”.

But he also worked to reassure foreign partners who followed the election closely. Senegal “will remain a friendly country and a safe and reliable ally of any partner who engages with us in virtuous, respectful and mutually productive cooperation,” he said.

On Wednesday evening, US President Joe Biden congratulated Basirou Diomay Faye on his victory, saying he wanted to strengthen the “relationship” between the two countries. “I congratulate Basirou Diamoue Faye on his election as the new president of Senegal,” Joe Biden said in a statement, “looking forward to working together to build a more peaceful and prosperous future for all.”

with AFP