Senegalese opposition leader Bassirou Diomaye Faye won by a landslide in the first round of the presidential election with 54.28% of the vote, well ahead of government candidate Amadou Ba (35.79%), according to provisional final results announced on Wednesday.
This accelerated proclamation seems to clear the way for an upcoming inauguration of Bassirou Diomaye Faye, in any case before the term of the outgoing Macky Sall ends on April 2.
Opponents have 3 days to refer the matter to the Constitutional Council
The victory of the anti-system opponent, still in prison ten days before Sunday’s elections, must now be validated by the Constitutional Council. In theory, candidates have 72 hours after the proclamation to contact the Council.
But the Council also put pressure on the movement by giving them until Thursday midnight (Friday 00h GMT) “at the latest”. In a press release, the Council invokes “the exceptional circumstances” that led to “the reduction of all deadlines.” It refers to the postponement of the presidential elections, initially scheduled for February 25 and finally set for March 24.
The postponement decreed at the last minute by President Sall caused a serious crisis and raised doubts about the possibility of his successor being sworn in before the official expiration of his mandate.
Turnout is low compared to previous elections
This timely transfer, very significant in a country that prides itself on its democratic practices, now appears realistic, provided that the results do not give rise to an appeal to the Constitutional Council.
In the absence of controversy, “the Council immediately proclaims the final result of the vote,” the Constitution says. But in case of objection, the Council theoretically has five days to decide.
Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s victory was already known after the unofficial publication of the partial results. The figures communicated to the Dakar court by the president of the National Vote Census Commission, Amady Diouf, confirm the magnitude of this situation.
If the victory is validated, it will be the first time since Senegal’s independence in 1960 that an opponent wins in the first round.
The third of the 19 candidates, Aliou Mamadou Dia, only obtained 2.8% of the votes, confirming the extreme bipolarization of the vote. Participation was 61.30%. This is less than in 2019, when outgoing president Macky Sall won a second term, also in the first round, but more than in 2012.
The youngest president of the country.
Bassirou Diomaye Faye, 44, who has never previously held national elected office, is expected to become the fifth and youngest president of the West African country of 18 million people. His opponents recognized his victory.
His election was preceded by three years of tension and unrest. Senegal, known as one of the most stable countries in West Africa, experienced a new crisis in February when President Sall decreed the postponement of elections. Dozens of people have been killed and hundreds arrested since 2021, and Senegal’s democratic credentials have been scrutinized in a new light.
Bassirou Diomaye Faye himself was detained for months before being released in the middle of the election campaign in mid-March.
After weeks of confusion, Senegalese went to the polls on Sunday. International observers praised the smooth development of the operations.
The African Union observation mission praised in a press release “the democratic maturity of the Senegalese people (and) the overall peaceful atmosphere of the presidential elections.”
“Breaking off”
Bassirou Diomaye Faye presents himself as the man of “rupture”, of the reestablishment of a national “sovereignty” sold, according to him, abroad, and of a “left-wing Pan-Africanism”. His election could herald a profound systemic challenge.
He is committed “to governing with humility, with transparency and to fighting corruption” at all levels, he declared Monday during his first public appearance since the elections.
He indicated as his “priority projects” “national reconciliation”, the “refoundation” of institutions and a “significant reduction in the cost of living”.
But he also worked to reassure foreign partners who closely followed the elections. Senegal “will continue to be the friendly country and the safe and reliable ally of any partner that engages with us in virtuous, respectful and mutually productive cooperation,” he said.
Source: BFM TV
