Bassirou Diomaye Faye Becomes Senegal's Next President

Africa | Senegal March 29, 2024

Bassirou Diomaye Faye (44) on March 29, 2024, became Senegal's next president officially, after the country's Constitutional Council ratified provisional results of the recent presidential election, that were announced by the country's National Autonomous Electoral Commission alias Commission Electorale Nationale Autonome (CENA) on March 27, 2024.

According to CENA's provisional results, Bassirou Diomaye Faye who contested for the top political position under the banner of the opposition party PASTEF, won the presidential election with 54.28% of the vote. His main rival Amadou Ba of the outgoing ruling party Alliance for the Republic took 35.7% of the vote.

Amadou Ba and some other presidential nominees are said to have already conceded defeat and congratulated Bassirou Diomaye Faye who will be sworn in as Senegal's 5th president on April 2, 2024.

Bassirou Diamaye Faye who has humble beginnings, is a newcomer at Senegal's political arena that has been dominated by established political elites since the country's independence from France in 1960. As such, the political elites were not impressed when he showed interest in entering the country's political arena that they think belongs to them. They tried to stop him before the presidential election by throwing him in jail. He was, however, released under a court amnesty just 10 days before the election.

Ideologically, Bassirou Diamaye Faye is said to be anti-elite political establishment or simply anti-establishment, and proponent of leftist pan-Africanism.

In the presidential election campaign and his inaugural victory speech that followed, Bassirou Diamaye Faye promised to do, among others, the following:

• Battle corruption, unemployment, and non-inclusiveness

• Renegotiate the country's mining and energy contracts with foreign firms, in order to promote local firms and give Senegal more control of its natural assets hence get rid of what he called economic enslavement

• Renegotiate defence contracts with foreign countries

• Restore Senegal's sovereignty through, among others, financial reform that will entail ditching the CFA franc and replacing it with either an ECOWAS-led currency or national currency

• Save government money by overhauling public institutions including getting rid of useless ones

• Reduce cost of living

• Reducing presidential powers by reintroducing the position of vice-president

• Prioritize national reconciliation

However, some of the goals have been questioned by some foreign sources especially those in countries with investors there. Particularly, the sources are concerned about, among others, the planned renegotiation of country's mining, and energy contracts with foreign firms. They argue that such renegotiation may face legal obstacles and may make Senegal unattractive for foreign investors. But then, the concerns leave much to be desired. We will tell you why.

Renegotiation or modification of wrongly made mining and energy contracts with foreign firms have taken place before elsewhere in Africa, e.g., Tanzania and Botswana, and beyond, e.g., Saudi Arabia, with great success.

In Tanzania for instance, similar concerns were raised but the country was not swayed. After a year or so, the country's revenues from extracted natural assets reportedly increased considerably, and today, the investors are still there. Partly, the investors did leave as predicted because they knew that they have been looting prior to the renegotiation of contracts, and that they had no other options if they were to remain in business as many other countries in world including their homelands have similar conditions for foreign involvement in their mining and energy sectors.

In conclusion, Bassirou Diamaye Faye's goals for Senegal are definitely realistic, urgent, ambitious, and excellent. If they will be implemented without hesitation, may lead to great things to the majority of country's population. Particularly, the goals are likely to lead to national economic growth by which generated wealth will be distributed evenly among the population, instead of been taken by just a small segment of the population and foreign firms.

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