Diomaye Faye: Senegal's new president, at 44, is Africa's youngest leader

On Sunday night, the streets of Dakar, Senegal, were seen full of cheery people celebrating with flags in hand, honking cars and motorcycles in unison amid cries of “Get out, Amadou Ba!”. At midnight, the crowd gathered to sing “Happy Birthday” to the new President-elect Bassirou Diomaye Faye.

Faye, 44, who was released from jail just 10 days prior, won the first round of Senegal’s Presidential election on Sunday; leaving his opponent, Amadou Ba far behind in the race.

After Sunday’s poll, Faye is all set to become the youngest-ever president of the West African nation, and the youngest leader in Africa now.

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With his pledge to strike out corruption, restore stability and prioritise economic sovereignty, Faye gave new hope to the people of Senegal, who long have been victims of persistent poverty and corruption.

Faye is endorsed by the country’s controversial yet popular opposition politician Ousmane Sonko. Faye rose to the political ladder from a former tax inspector, under the shadow of Sonko, who was barred from standing in Sunday’s presidential race due to defamation and rape cases.

Bassirou Diomaye Faye: From prison to Senegal’s youngest president

Bassirou Diomaye Faye was Sonko’s fellow alum from school, whom he met again when he opted to become a tax inspector in the Tax and Estates Department. Faye and Sonko's relationship grew closer in the Taxes and Estates Union.

Initially, Faye was just a guest at the Sonko’a party called PASTEF, but soon he ascended to become one of the most prominent figures within the party. He also became the brains behind Sonko’s programme for his candidacy in the 2019 Senegalese presidential election.

In February 2021, Faye became the general secretary of PASTEF after Sonko was arrested, being accused of repeated rape by a massage parlour employee. As part of its strategy to win power, Faye attempted to unite the opposition for the 2022 elections, winning 56 seats under the alliance Liberate the People.

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Sonko, a fiery orator, when sent to jail and was barred from running, tapped Faye to run in his place.

Faye was himself jailed on charges of defamation and contempt of court. But PASTEF also endorsed Faye as its candidate, before getting dissolved in 2023.

On January 20, the Senegalese Constitutional Council released the presidential election's final candidate list. Despite legal battles, Sonko was absent from the list. Faye's candidacy was approved despite his detention, as he had no prior convictions. Sonko promptly endorsed Faye for the election.

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On March 15, a day after Faye's release from jail, he gathered hundreds of supporters at his first public appearance as a presidential contender.

Faye ran under the slogan "Diomaye mooy Ousmane", which means "Diomaye is Ousmane" in Wolof, and hoped Sonko's charisma and popular appeal amongst Senegal's youth would boost his campaign. Sunday’s result paid off this tactic.

The national electoral commission has not yet announced the tally, but Ba’s concession followed reports by local media that Faye had won more than 50 per cent of the vote, ruling out a runoff.

(With inputs from agencies)