The campaign of Bassirou Diomaye Faye, widely supported by the renowned Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, began celebrating his victory in the first round of the presidential elections this Monday, March 25. Although the official data is expected to be known at the end of the week, many are already celebrating in the streets and even the official candidate Amadou Ba recognized his defeat. These are elections with great expectations, given that their postponement generated violent protests, and that seek to bring stability to both the country and the entire region, immersed in a social, political and economic crisis.
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As preliminary data on the presidential elections in Senegal have become known, the trend is confirming the opponent Bassirou Diomaye Faye, 44, as the winner.
Local media reports sparked street celebrations by his followers in the capital, Dakar.
The ruling coalition's candidate, Amadou Ba, 62, initially called the celebrations premature and said a second round would be necessary to determine the winner.
But then he called Faye on Monday to congratulate him, a spokesperson told reporters.
“In light of the trends in the presidential election results and as we await the official proclamation, I congratulate Faye on her victory in the first round,” Ba said in a statement.
Ba was the candidate backed by outgoing president Macky Sall, who is facing a decline in popularity after two terms marred by economic difficulties and violent anti-government protests.
About 7.3 million people were registered to vote among Senegal's nearly 17 million people, more than 60% of whom are under 25 years old.
Senegalese vote for their next president in hopes that the economy will improve
The elections were initially scheduled for February 25, but Sall abruptly delayed them to February 3, just hours before the campaign began. He said the postponement was due to risks arising from disputes over the list of candidates.
The “youth renewal”
Voters could choose between 19 candidates to replace Sall, who resigned after a second term marred by unrest over the prosecution of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko and concerns that the president wanted to extend his term beyond the constitutional limit.
In addition to Ba, several opposition contenders also conceded defeat to Faye, including Anta Babacar Ngom, the only female candidate.
Unknown until months ago to the general public, the political career of Bassirou Diomaye Faye, a 43-year-old tax inspector and one of the top favorites in the presidential elections, has been under the shadow of Sonko, the country's main opposition leader.
It's just that Faye, who has not spoken publicly since casting her vote, owes much of her success to the endorsement of Sonko, who was banned from running due to a defamation conviction.
Anger crystallized around Sonko's prosecution grew as authorities attempted to postpone the vote, initially scheduled for February.
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The two former tax inspectors campaigned together under the slogan “Diomaye is Sonko”, promising to fight corruption and prioritize national economic interests.
They are particularly popular with young voters in a country where more than 60% of people are under 25 years old and struggle to find employment.
However, investors fear a possible change in leadership to an anti-establishment government that may not pursue the same business-friendly policies seen under Sall's government that have attracted infrastructure investment.
Regarding the international impact of an eventual Faye victory, Africanist historian Omer Freixa told France 24 in Spanish:
“Faye represents a renewal, a look, but also an anti-French discourse, which would cause a clear distancing from France (from which it became independent in 1960). It is a renewal. From the point of view, also of youth renewal, “He is a very young candidate.”
A key election in an unstable region
A peaceful transition of power in Senegal would be a boost for democracy in West Africa, a region where there have been eight military coups since 2020.
Some of the junta that seized power have cut ties with traditional power brokers in the region, such as France and the United States, and have instead turned to Russia for help in their fight against a jihadist insurgency sweeping across the country. Senegal's neighboring countries.
Read alsoWest Africa is at the height of its “spring of coups”: 'Wakat Séra'
Senegal's international bonds rose on reports that Faye was close to being declared the winner, reversing sharp falls earlier.
Official results are expected to be announced by authorities on Friday, March 29.. The electoral commission has not yet revealed the data of the counts recorded so far in 15,633 polling stations.
Many hope the vote will bring stability and an economic boost to Senegal after three years of unprecedented political turbulence in one of West Africa's only stable democracies, which will begin producing oil and gas this year.
“I'm happy to see that there is a wind of change,” said Tall, who joined revelers in the streets, where Senegalese flags were waved, flares were lit and vuvuzelas were blown.
With Reuters
