Release of Ousmane Sonko and Bassirou Diomaye Faye charges up Senegal’s political space

Photo credit: REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra/File Photo

The release from prison of Senegal’s opposition leader Ousmane Sonko and his chosen candidate for this month’s delayed election, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, following an amnesty announced by President Macky Sall, has increased the political pulse of the country.

The two met thousands of their jubilant supporters in the capital, Dakar, after their release late on Thursday, March 14.

Their release a few days to the start of campaigns leading up to the elections have seen large outpour of support from many Senegalese, making them the focus of attention in the media.

Mr Faye, 44, despite his detention, made it on the list of 19 candidates contesting the elections and is seen as one of the favourites to win the election. He is vying through the Diomaye President coalition, which is an alliance of Sonko’s supporters, such as MPs Birame Soulèye Diop, Guy Marius Sagna and Abass Fall, as well as the party’s national communications secretary, El Malick Ndiaye, who are also on the presidential list.

It is expected that the five candidates will marshal their support of the hundreds of thousands of supporters they claim to have for Faye’s victory.

Mr. Sonko, 49, has been one of President Sall’s fiercest critics. He was jailed for two years last July on what he described as trumped-up charges aimed at barring him from running for president.

His endorsement is seen as a major reason for the boost in Faye’s support among young, unemployed Senegalese. Many expect that he would align with Sonko’s promised radical reform.

Programme, which includes the establishment of a new national currency and the renegotiation of the country’s mining and energy contracts between the government and private conglomerates. Central to Sonko’s campaign also is a review of Senegal’s relations with former colonial power France whose economic interests in the country are perceived by some in the opposition as a form of neo-colonialism.

Sonko has proven his political worth before, coming in third in the 2019 presidential election with 15% of the vote, ensuring that the race between the Diomaye coalition and the ruling coalition party, Benno Bokk Yakaar, (BBY) would be a tough one.

Some Senegalese commentators say the fact that Sonko is not on the ballot does not mean that his influence cannot shape the outcome of the elections. They say the Ousmane Sonko movement carries huge political weight that could swing the election in the direction of Faye.