{"id":3581,"date":"2024-03-25T17:48:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-25T16:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bnd.ngo\/blog\/2024\/03\/25\/elections-in-senegal-the-turning-point\/"},"modified":"2024-06-13T13:48:54","modified_gmt":"2024-06-13T11:48:54","slug":"elections-in-senegal-the-turning-point","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bnd.ngo\/en\/blog\/2024\/03\/25\/elections-in-senegal-the-turning-point\/","title":{"rendered":"Elections in Senegal: the turning point?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Bassirou Diomaye Faye, recently released from prison, has achieved a surprising victory in Senegal’s presidential elections, becoming the country’s new president.<\/span><\/span> This event represents a radical change in the Senegalese political landscape, as Faye, known for his critical stance towards the establishment, will assume the position of head of state for the first time. <\/span><\/span>At 44 years old, he stands out as the youngest president in Senegal’s history since its independence.<\/span><\/span> The former political prisoner and breakout candidate received widespread approval during the vote count, charting a victory that was later confirmed by his main rival, Amadou Ba, on March 25.<\/span><\/span> Ba publicly acknowledged the defeat and congratulated Faye, a gesture that comes ahead of the official announcement of the election results, expected in the next few days.<\/span><\/span> The government, through its spokesperson Abdou Karim Fofana, announced that Ba extended his personal congratulations to Faye, thus consolidating the transition of power in a context of democratic respect. <\/span><\/span>This election marks a turning point for Senegal, highlighting the desire for change and new leadership among its citizens. <\/span><\/span>Who is Bassirou Diomaye Faye? <\/span><\/span>Bassirou Diomaye Faye has emerged as a central figure in Senegal’s political landscape, taking on a crucial role in the Pastef movement.<\/span><\/span> His appointment took many political commentators by surprise, but for Ousmane Sonko, the decision was made on solid and rational grounds.<\/span><\/span> Sonko stressed that Faye was not an impulsive choice, but a well-thought-out one, based on Faye’s expertise and education, which includes an education in Senegal’s most renowned educational institution.<\/span><\/span> His twenty-year service with the country’s tax authority is a testament to his integrity and dedication, qualities that Sonko considers superior even to his own. <\/span><\/span>Faye, originally from Ndiaganiao and coming from a humble background, has traveled a remarkable academic and professional journey, culminating in his entry and subsequent graduation from the prestigious ENA.<\/span><\/span> His meeting with Sonko in that context cemented a deep bond, often described as brotherly.<\/span><\/span> Moustapha Sarr\u00e9, a key figure in the formation within the ex-Pastef, notes the complementarity between Sonko and Faye, noting how the two share an identical vision despite their distinct personalities.<\/span><\/span> The strong bond between the two is also highlighted by Sonko’s words, who sees in Faye not only a collaborator but a true extension of himself. <\/span><\/span>Within Pastef’s circle, the choice of Faye as Sonko’s successor did not arouse surprise, reflecting a sharing of ideals and mutual respect that deeply rooted the two men in the political project of the movement. <\/span><\/span>Although Faye initially had no political aspirations, his passion and commitment to Pastef led him to become a central voice and defender of his values \u200b\u200bbefore the Senegalese people.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bassirou Diomaye Faye, recently released from prison, has achieved a surprising victory in Senegal’s presidential elections, becoming the country’s new president.
\nThis event represents a radical change in the Senegalese political landscape, as Faye, known for his critical stance towards the establishment, will assume the position of head of state for the first time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2223,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[264,313,688,265,314],"class_list":["post-3581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-en","tag-africa-en","tag-dakar-en","tag-elections","tag-sahel-en","tag-sahel-en-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bnd.ngo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bnd.ngo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bnd.ngo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bnd.ngo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bnd.ngo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3581"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bnd.ngo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3581\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bnd.ngo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2223"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bnd.ngo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bnd.ngo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bnd.ngo\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}