Bassirou Diomaye Faye won Senegal's presidential election with 54% of votes
Bassirou Diomaye Faye emerged victorious in Senegal's presidential election, securing over 54% of the votes while his closest rival, Amadou Ba of the ruling coalition, trailed with approximately 35%.
The Dakar appeals court announced on March 27 that these results derived from a comprehensive tally of all polling stations, stand to be ratified by the Constitutional Council in the coming days.
Faye’s main rival, ruling party candidate Amadou Ba had already conceded defeat a day after the elections held on March 24.
"Considering the trends of the presidential election results and awaiting the official declaration, I congratulate the president Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye on his victory in the first round," Ba said in a statement.
Faye served over 11 months in jail for a social media post that the government considered subversive.
After he was released from prison by President Macky Sall on 14 March, he made his first public appearance as a presidential contender a day after his release from jail on 15 March 2024
During the presidential campaign, Faye's endorsement by Ousmane Sonko, the 2019 presidential candidate and founder of PASTEF, propelled his candidacy forward, igniting a groundswell of support among Senegal's youth
He promised to create jobs and campaigned strongly against corruption. "In electing me, the Senegalese people have decided on a break with a past... I promise to govern with humility and transparency," Faye told journalists in his first public appearance after the election.
Faye, a political newcomer who is set to become the fifth president of Senegal when he is sworn in on April 2, 2024, is also the youngest head of state in the history of the West African nation and the youngest democratically elected leader in the history of Africa.
