A tour de force from Bassirou Diomaye Faye is taking shape. According to the first estimates reported Sunday evening by the Senegalese press, the main opposition candidate is a step ahead of all his opponents, and in particular Amadou Ba, the designated heir apparent of the outgoing president, Macky Sall. From there to winning the presidential election in the first round? This would be unheard of for an opponent. At 44, the candidate of the African Patriots of Senegal party for work, ethics and fraternity (Pastef) embodies a radical renewal. The former trade unionist, slayer of corruption, sovereignist, anti-system, with sometimes populist overtones, carries a project of rupture, not only with the ruling party, but with the Senegalese political class as a whole.
From the first results displayed in the polling stations in Dakar – the same for those in the diaspora – the gap between Bassirou Diomaye Faye and his competitors appeared immense. The results in most large urban centers also put him well ahead. However, for the first time, in 2024, Senegal will have more urban residents than rural residents. Even in certain regions traditionally favorable to power, the Pastef candidate seems to be holding up well. No notable incidents were reported during the voting process, in accordance with the well-established democratic tradition of which the Senegalese pride themselves.
In the capital, Pastef supporters do not have the prudence of journalists: from 8 p.m., Dakar exploded with joy like the whistle of a football World Cup final. Uninterrupted horn blasts, wild races in the streets, vuvuzelas, songs and even improvised fireworks saluted the victory of “Diomaye”. At midnight, ten candidates had already congratulated Bassirou Diomaye Faye on his victory. Until early morning, radios and televisions read the complete results from each of the 16,000 polling stations in the country and abroad, without agglomerating them. Official results should not be known for several days.
Hair-raising destiny. The man who would become, if trends were to be confirmed, the fifth president of Senegal, was still sleeping in prison ten days ago. Prosecuted for eleven months – but never tried – for “contempt of court and defamation of a constituted body”, the candidate was released at the last minute thanks to an amnesty law passed by Parliament, at the same time as Ousmane Sonko, his mentor. The charismatic Sonko, six years his senior, is undoubtedly the true leader of Pastef, adored by Senegalese youth. Diomaye, for his part, was until the beginning of the year a shadow man of the party, an organizer, an intellectual, little known to the general public. But in January, the Constitutional Council rejected Sonko’s candidacy, due to his sentence to two years in prison in a morals case. His right-hand man was chosen as the party’s surrogate candidate.
“Plan B” worked beyond all expectations. Upon their release from prison, the two men led a vigorous campaign across Senegal, attracting impressive crowds of young supporters in their wake. Tonight they seem to be at the gates of power. If trends continue, Bassirou Diomaye Faye will sit in the presidential chair. What role will Ousmane Sonko, the architect of this crazy victory, play? It certainly won’t fade. The Pastef program provides for an institutional reform to create a position of vice-president of the Republic. A seat that seems tailor-made for the man at the origin of this revolution.
Article updated at 1 hour with congratulations addressed to Bassirou Diomaye Faye by six candidates.