Presidential election in Senegal: Four candidates congratulate Diomei Faye on his victory as they await official results

A political earthquake seems to be taking shape in Senegal. As the country counts presidential votes at the end of the first round of elections supposed to decide between continuity and perhaps radical change after three years of agitation and political crisis, four candidates have already congratulated the anti-system Diome Fay. for his victory on Sunday evening, even before the official announcement.

The results published by the office in the media and on social networks actually gave a big advantage to the candidate Basirou Diomaye Faye, who was supported by Osman Sonko, the incumbent Amadou Ba, far ahead of about 15 other contestants. pm, three hours after polls close.

Radio and television read the entire evening without collecting the full results from each of the 16,000 polling stations at home and abroad. And even though the official results weren’t announced, Diomei Faye seemed to be taking off almost everywhere. As a reminder, an absolute majority of the votes cast is required to win the first round and no date has been set for the second round.

“At the Palace”

At his campaign headquarters in Dakar, hundreds of supporters of Basirou Diomay Faye were already singing and dancing to the sound of tom-toms on Sunday evening. A procession of youths on motorbikes marched through the streets of the capital, honking their horns, chanting “In the presidential palace”. The atmosphere was more somber among the few dozen Amado Ba sympathizers at his headquarters.

On his birthday (he turns 44 on Monday), Basirou Diomey Faye, the “candidate for system change” and “left pan-Africanism”, and right-hand man of the opposition Ousmane Sonko, could announce a real systemic challenge. . Amadou Ba, 62, will extend the tenure of the outgoing Macky Saul, who was prime minister a few weeks ago and who named him as his successor.

Both declared themselves “confident” of victory in the first round. Outgoing President Macky Sele, who voted with his wife in Fatik (Mid-West), warned against premature claims of victory. What is certain is that Amadou Bane was beaten by Diomey Faye in his own polling station, which does not bode well for him.

No notable events

About 7.3 million voters were asked to choose between 17 contestants, including one woman. They queued in dozens or even hundreds during the day in front of various offices, without providing any specific assessment of participation (66% in 2019).

No notable incidents were reported and many voters expressed their satisfaction over the polling after the unrest caused by the postponement of the polls.

Weeks of confusion

Senegalese were initially scheduled to vote on February 25, as it is still listed on ballot boxes and ballots this Sunday. But earlier in the month, the outgoing president, Macky Sele, who was not running for a third term, surprised the country by announcing that the vote would be postponed.

A decision that created a serious political crisis in the country, which was already experiencing episodes of unrest since 2021 and a deadlock between Osman Sonko and power. Four people died during the demonstration.

Several weeks of confusion tested Senegal’s democratic practices, until the March 24 date was set. The campaign was shortened to two weeks, falling in the middle of the Muslim fasting month.

The election is being closely followed, with Senegal considered one of the most stable countries in West Africa. Dakar maintains strong ties with the West, while Russia strengthens its position around it.