A new president and a new direction for Senegal

Senegal’s new president-elect, Bassirou Diomaye Faye signals a new path for Senegal.

According to preliminary official results, Bassirou Diomaye Faye is the newly elected president of Senegal. The lawyer and former tax inspector, and the youngest elected president in Senegal’s history, fought great odds stacked against him to emerge winner.

Former Prime Minister and candidate of the current ruling coalition, Amadou Ba, conceded defeat when he congratulated Faye on Monday evening, a day after the elections and while results were still being counted. Outgoing President Macky Sall also congratulated Faye a day after Ba, declaring his victory as “the victory of Senegalese democracy.”

Respected regional observers say the smooth conduct of the elections and swift concession by Ba presents a promising picture of progression in West Africa’s democratic space.

Among these voices was former Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, who expressed his pleasure with “the maturity and patriotism shown by Senegalese leaders during this election”, commending them for “their sportsmanship”.

With Faye’s victory Senegal has witnessed a major tremor in its political landscape setting the stage for what many observers have described as the emergence of a new political paradigm in the country.

Five other contestants had also congratulated Faye and conceded defeat early in the race. However, their concession had been part of a well drawn out strategy that involved their inclusion in the race with the clear intention of eventually collapsing all their structures for Faye’s candidacy.

Not many would have predicted that criticisms of alleged corruption in government in February 2021 resulting in the persecution of critics, and the start of nationwide protests with the leitmotif, “Gatsa-Gatsa,” echoing calls for resistance against government coercion, would morph into a new political order.

An even more interesting twist is the thought that Senegal’s new president was sitting in a prison cell just a few months ago, a relatively unknown figure outside his political circle.

Faye’s victory stands as an affirmation of the democratic credentials of Senegal as much as it signals a major shift in the relationship between the country and its former colonial power, France. In fact, many watchers believe that the potential crack that would emerge in the relationship between both nations was one of the triggers for the political persecution that Faye and his party leader and firebrand opposition figure, Ousmane Sonko, faced leading up to the election.

In one of Sonko’s celebrated speeches, he called on France to “lift its knees off our necks.” lamenting that “centuries of misery, human trafficking, colonisation and neo-colonisation have caused immeasurable suffering”, and demanding “an end to this cycle of oppression” and that France should “leave us alone.”

Sonko’s words set the tone for the demands for change that swept through Senegal and remains the rallying call for supporters of his anti-establishment stance.

Faye describes himself in his first public address since Ba conceded as “the choice of a break” from the establishment. His proposals include abandoning the CFA franc in favour of a national currency, suspending the fisheries agreement with the EU, and reducing the powers of the president of the republic.

In a post on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Faye hinted at some of the radical steps that would guide his approach to regional and global relations.

He made clear that consolidation of “the achievements obtained in the processes of building integration in ECOWAS” would also involve “correcting weaknesses and changing certain methods, strategies and political priorities”.

He also informed “the international community, our bilateral and multilateral partners”, that Senegal “will remain a friendly country and a safe and reliable ally for any partner who engages with us in virtuous and respectful cooperation.”

He says that his government’s initial focus would be on four priority projects. These are national reconciliation; the rebuilding of institutions; significant reduction in the cost of living to alleviate the burdens of daily life and inclusive national sectorial consultations on the evaluation and re-launch of public policies.

For many, the political feud between Faye’s party, African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity (French: Patriotes africains du Sénégal pour le travail, l’éthique et la fraternité; PASTEF), in which he was the Secretary-General, and the Macky Sall government could not have ended with a more dramatic twist, considering the fact that Faye and Sonko had been incarcerated for what many described as trumped-up charges.

“Diomaye is Sonko”

Faye’s popularity as a candidate was helped by Sonko’s endorsement, obvious in the slogan, “Diomaye is Sonko”, which propelled him to victory.

His popularity, like that of Sonko, also rests on his reputation as a principled political figure. Ahead of the Sunday election, Faye published a declaration of his assets and urged other candidates to do the same, which earned him the nickname “Mr Clean” by his supporters.

Senegal experienced some of its worst violent protests following the arrests and conviction of Sonko, who had been tipped to win the elections, if he had been allowed to contest.

Sonko’s experience as a leading opposition figure was harrowing. It is believed that he was removed from the civil service because of his calls for radical reforms and his criticisms of Sall’s government.

The popular narrative is that, as a tax officer, Sonko raised concerns about poorly crafted agreements and contracts, some of them involving France, an act that got him fired for “violation of the duty of confidentiality” by his superior, Ba, the ruling coalition’s candidate, who was the Director General of taxes at that time.

Faye, who was also working as a tax inspector, got to know Sonko and they became friends, later establishing PASTEF.

Sonko’s travails continued after his sack. He was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment on a charge of “corrupting young people”, even as he was still facing trial for other offences.

His party, PASTEF, was dissolved, its offices were locked, its executives and activists were hunted down, persecuted and imprisoned. In January, he was disqualified from the ballot because he faced a six-month suspended sentence following his conviction for defamation.

Faye later joined Sonko in detention, although not convicted. A large segment of the Senegalese population believed that their persecution was organised to force them to quit the political scene. However, their popularity led to repercussions that the ruling government had not anticipated.

Some commentators contemplate a possible shift from the touted PASTEF progressive policies once Faye assumes office. They attribute this to the fact that Faye would face immense internal and external pressures to maintain Senegal’s current economic and political posture.

Some statements made by Sonko before the Sunday elections have prompted these concerns. His position on the CFA seemed watered down when he said there would first be attempts to push for reforms on the use of the currency before any talks of launching a national currency.

Many do not see this happening, however. They say any attempt by Faye and Sonko to align with the old guards would spell their political end.

There is no doubt that Sonko would play a significant role in the new government. His advice and political mentorship would be highly sought by the new president, setting the stage for a vibrant political transformation in the coming years.