Senegalese President-elect Bassirou Diomaye Faye has praised outgoing President Macky Sall for allowing a smooth election to take place and accepting his victory at the polls.
In his response to the outpouring of support for his victory, the 44 year old tax inspector said he will govern with humility and will immediately begin the process of national reconciliation.
Earlier, President Sall, whose party lost at the polls, had taken to his X page (Formerly Twitter) to join in congratulating Mr Faye. “I salute the smooth running of the presidential election of March 24, 2024 and congratulate the winner, Mr. Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who the trends show as the winner. It is the victory of Senegalese democracy,” he said.
Mr Faye, whose victory was largely attributed to the people’s love for his colleague and friend, the radical opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko, who was banned from participating in the elections, praised the latter for his unwavering support.
Both had worked together as tax inspectors and formed a close friendship leading to the formation of the PANDEF party which was recently banned.
Mr Sonko’s ability to galvanize the youth population of Senegal made him a thorn in the flesh of President Sall for the last three years. He accused the president of trying to run for an illegal third term.
Until ten days ago they were both in jail, Mr Sonko for allegedly inciting the public and Mr Faye for criticizing Mr Sonko’s arrest and detention.
Fears that the election would be volatile however failed to materialise as was the concern that it may lead to a run-off between the two leading candidates, Mr Faye and the ruling party’s candidate and President Sall’s ally, Amadou Ba.
As the nation awaits a formal declaration of the winner by the electoral body when counting eventually ends, preliminary figures show that Mr Faye has already won about 58 percent of the votes against his main opponent’s 33 percent, ensuring that no run-off will be necessary.
The president-elect may yet increase this margin and Mr Ba, who said on Sunday night that he was ready for a runoff vote in two weeks if he or any of the other candidates were unable to secure the mandated 50 per cent votes, on Monday conceded victory and wished the winner well.
In a statement, Mr Ba said that “in view of the trends in the results of the presidential election,” he had called Mr Faye “to congratulate him on his victory pending the official proclamation.”
“I pray to the Almighty to grant him the energy and strength necessary to assume this high office at the head of our country,” he said.
In his first address to the media after the elections, Mr Faye restated his commitment to fighting corruption in the country “in order to give substance to the immense hope and aspirations of the people.”
“I am committed to govern with humility in transparency and to fight corruption. In electing me, the Senegalese people have chosen to break with the past,” he said.
Shortly after casting his vote on Sunday, Mr Faye had told the media that the election was between continuity, which his major opponent represented and rupture with the past.
Nineteen candidates were on the presidential ballot, including the only female candidate, Anta Babacar Ngom, but two dropped out to back Faye. Some 7.3 million Senegalese were eligible to vote in the election but it is not clear how many voted in the end.
A formal announcement of Mr Faye’s victory is expected to be made as jubilations continue in the capital city, Dakar.
