Path Clears For Faye Presidency As Main Challenger In Senegal Election Concedes Defeat

Amadou Ba, the candidate for Senegal’s ruling coalition, has been defeated in the just concluded presidential election. To acknowledge the victory of the opposition candidate in Sunday’s presidential election, Ba contacted Bassirou Diomaye Faye on Monday.

In a statement on Monday, Ba said,”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.”

Supporters of the opposition parties have been rejoicing in the streets around the nation since the polls closed on Sunday night, even though the vote count is still ongoing and the results are not expected until later this week.

A candidate must receive more than 50% of the votes in the first round to win, otherwise, there is a runoff.
However, supporters of the opposition claim that there is no disputing the preliminary trends, which rules out a runoff election.

In spite of their misgivings about possible turmoil, voters have nevertheless complimented the election’s orderly conduct. Ousmane Sonko, the leader of the popular opposition, was jailed last year, which sparked fatal riots in the months before the election.

Meanwhile, 44-year-old Bassirou Diomaye Faye was named the country’s next president on Monday, less than two weeks after being released from prison to run in the election.

Faye, who was supported by popular opposition leader Ousman Sonko, has vowed to improve Senegal’s control over its natural resources by promoting national companies to prevent the country from falling into what his campaign called “economic enslavement.”

This marks Senegal’s fourth democratic transfer of power since gaining independence more than sixty years ago.

Melissa Enoch

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