Who is Basiro Diomaye Faye, who went from prison to the presidency at once?

From our correspondent in Dakar,

Dressed in blue, President-elect Basirou Dimaye Faye spoke The day after the March 24 presidential election, solemnly. ” By electing me as President of the Republic, the people of Senegal chose rupture (…) I am committed to govern with humility and transparency to fight corruption at all levels », his main rival and the candidate of the outgoing government who conceded defeat, declared an anti-system candidate after a lecture, a few hours after a telephone call with Amadou Ba.

Ten days after his release from eleven months in prison, Basirou Diomei Faye, 44 years old and unknown to the general public, finds himself at the gates of power. Plan B of the African Patriots Party Senegal For Work, Ethics and Fraternity (Pastef), dissolved by Senegalese authorities in July, the tax inspector was chosen to replace Ousmane Sonko, a charismatic leader who was barred from running for president for legal reasons. There was no prediction that this wise right-hand man and man in the shadows would be elected to the highest office in the state.

Co-founder of Pastef with Ousmane Sonko

Originally from the village of Ndiaganiao, about a hundred kilometers from Dakar in the Mbour department, Bassirou Diomaye Faye grew up in a rural world. A law graduate from the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, he was admitted to the National School of Administration.

It was at the General Directorate of Taxes and Domains (DGID) that he met Ousmane Sonko, Biram Solei Diop and Wali Diouf Bodiang, with whom he co-founded Pastef in 2014. Head of the Administrative and Tax Litigation Office, he is famous for his Rigidity and hard work. ” You must have a good technical level of law and taxation to handle this office, as you have to handle administrative appeals of taxpayers. “, assures Waly Diouf Bodiang, Deputy Director of Law at DGID and member of Ousmane Sonko’s cabinet.

Together, they politicized into the Autonomous Union of Tax and Domain Agents (SAID), founded a few years earlier by Osman Sonko. After a stay in legal affairs, Basirou Diomay Faye becomes its Secretary General until 2022. ” He did a lot of work on land so that DGID agents have access to land and distribution of land is done more transparently. “, recalls Mr Bodiang.

At the same time, these young tax inspectors created Pastef. Basirou Diomei Faye becomes increasingly essential to the issue of being placed at the head of executives and diaspora movements. In 2019, he is the architect of the Jotna programme, which was supported by Osmane Sonko during the presidential election which placed him in third place behind Mackie Sale and Idrissa Sek with about 16% of the votes.

Two years later, in March 2021, the party leader Osmane Sonko has been arrested for ” Disturbance of public order », went to court with a group of activists after being accused of rape by a young massage parlor employee. While the government is accused of seeking to eliminate the opposition, his arrest sparked several days of violent demonstrations that left fourteen people dead, according to Amnesty International.

Amputated by his boss, the former Pastef turns to trusted right-hand man, Basirou Diomeu Faye, who is placed at the centre. Shortly after, the party was reorganized and Basirou Dimaye Faye was promoted to Secretary General of the former PESTEF. ” He is calm, listens to his colleagues and knows how to make decisions at the right time.

», testifies MP Ayyab Daffey who was the interim Secretary General of the former PASTEF during his imprisonment.

Attacked on his lack of experience

When he lost in his own municipality during the January 2022 local elections, he was attacked for his youth and lack of experience. ” He has worked in senior administration for nearly fifteen years. Those who speak of seasoned politicians are the ones who put Senegal in this position. I prefer inexperienced, but patriotic and hard working person », replied Mustafa Sarr, the former head of Pastef who appreciates their values ​​and their potential. His detractors, however, accuse him of a strict practice of Islam and ties to Salafism. ” I am a Muslim and my practice of Islam is a personal practice that I do in my intimacy with God. I do not impose religion on anyone and the state does not have this business either », answered Basirou Dimay Faye in an exclusive interview before his election the world and to the RFI, while recalling Senegal’s secularism.

From June 2022, Basirou Dimay Faye began working on the program for the February 2024 elections. But in July 2023 he was arrested “ Contempt of Court » After publication on social networks where it ” Homelessness “Justice. A few months later, charges of endangering the security of the state and calling for rebellion were added.

Eleven months’ imprisonment and an express campaign

While in prison for eleven months, he managed to maintain a central role in the development of the program for the 2024 elections. He managed the work from prison: he received his associates and was sometimes allowed to make telephone calls », assures Moustapha Sarré.

But his incarceration worsened when he was named as an alternate candidate for the presidential election. ” Forty-five days before my release, visits were restricted and I was denied telephone access. A program, for example, could be more complete in specifications “, he declared before his election in an interview with the world and on RFI.

In his program, he promises, for example, more justice, less corruption, better distribution of wealth, more fairness in international relations, fighting hyper-presidentialism, Assurance of economic sovereignty

and undertake financial reforms.

Osman was finally released on March 14, as was Sonko, thanks to an amnesty law initiated by President Mackie Sale. As he steps out, in the middle of election campaigning, jubilant crowds accompany him, chanting: “ Dimaye Moy Sonko, Sonko Moy Dimaye » (“Diomaye is Sonko, Sonko is Dimaye”).

Together, they embark on a clear election campaign across the country aboard a caravan that will visit Senegal in one run and which draws crowds. They conclude with a closing meeting on Friday 22 March in their home region of Mbour. On election day, he voted with his two wives in his native village. That same evening, people came out together Celebrate the victoryLiving up to the immense expectations and hopes placed on the shoulders of the youngest President of the Republic elected in Senegal.

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