His trials will be as great as his hopes. Elected on a promise to break with the current system, leftist pan-Africanist Bassirou Diomaye Fay was sworn in Tuesday as Senegal’s fifth president after a lightning-fast rise.
“Before God and before the Senegalese people, I swear to faithfully discharge the duties of President of the Republic of Senegal and to respect and scrupulously comply with the provisions of the Constitution and the laws,” said Bassirou Diomaie Faye, the ruler. raised in front of hundreds of Senegalese officials, several heads of state and African leaders at an exhibition center in the new town of Diamniadio, near Dakar.
Wearing a blue suit, assuring his words and appearance, the new president vowed before the Constitutional Council to defend “the integrity of the territory and national independence, so that, finally, no effort will be spared to achieve African unity.”
Fay said he “realized” that his victory in the March 24 presidential election expressed a “deep desire for systemic change.” He also said he “clearly hears the voice of an uninhibited elite speaking loud and clear about our desire for greater sovereignty, development and prosperity.” He calls for “greater African solidarity” in the face of insecurity.
First polygamous president of Senegal
Bassiro Diomaie Fay, who has never been elected before, at 44 becomes the West African country’s fifth and youngest president since independence in 1960. He succeeds for five years against 62-year-old Macky Sall, who led the country of 18 million for 12 years and maintained a strong position. relations with the West and France, while diversifying partnerships.
The transfer of power between Sall and Fay will take place this afternoon at the presidential palace in Dakar.
This electoral rotation, the third in Senegal’s history, marks the end of a three-year confrontation between Macky Sall and the winning duo in the March 24 presidential elections: Bassiro Diomaye Fay and the one who, having disqualified him, dubbed him, Ousmane Sonko.
Nicknamed “Diomaye” (“noble” in Serer), Mr Fay is a practicing Muslim, married to two women (he is Senegal’s first polygamous president) and has four children. The young-faced man represents a new generation of young politicians.
The promise of rupture, the anointing of Ousmane Sonko and the apparent modesty of this figure from humble and educated backgrounds led him to a resounding victory in the first round of the presidential election with 54.28% of the vote, just ten days after his release from prison.
For the return of the Sahel countries to ECOWAS
His election, welcomed by Paris, Washington and the African Union, followed three years of tension that left dozens of people dead. Senegal, known as West Africa’s island of stability, suffered a new crisis in February when President Sall issued a decree postponing presidential elections.
An admirer of former US President Barack Obama and South African anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela, Fay describes himself as a “left-wing” pan-Africanist and advocates for rebalancing international partnerships.
Senegal will remain an ally “to any partner who engages with us in virtuous, respectful and mutually productive cooperation,” he said after his election.
He wants to work to bring back into ECOWAS Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, Sahel countries led by juntas that broke with the former French colonial power and turned to Russia.
Unemployment problem
The senior tax official, who rose quietly through the ranks in Sonko’s shadow, mentioned his priority projects after victory: “reducing the cost of living,” “fighting corruption” and “national reconciliation.” This emphasizes the country’s sovereignty. Having come to power thanks to his desire for change, he will have to face serious problems. His specific projects remain unclear, as does the place allocated to Sonko.
He will first have to appoint a government that will be made up of “Senegalese men and women from the interior and diaspora, known for their competence, integrity and patriotism,” he noted.
Lacking a majority in the Assembly, it should be forced to form alliances to pass laws before eventual dissolution.
This is especially expected in the area of employment, in a country where 75% of the population is under 35 and where the unemployment rate is officially 20%, forcing more and more young people to flee poverty and undertake dangerous journeys to Europe.
Macky Sall, in turn, has been appointed special envoy of the Paris Pact for People and Planet, created to fight poverty, preserve the planet and support vulnerable countries, and will take office at the end of his mandate, according to his details.
In a press release issued Monday, he said he would remain president of his Alliance for the Republic party and asked its members to make an “objective assessment” of the presidential election with the goal of “relaunching” the organization.
Source: Le Parisien
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