The Senegalese dissident Bashir Diomai Fay, who assumed the presidency from a Dakar prison, embodies the winning charisma of Ousmane Sonko, the leader and opposition standard-bearer who supported him to replace him. .
“Bashirou is me,” Sonko said of his number two. Sonko is set to become Senegal's youngest head of state at 44 on Monday after his main rival in the presidential election conceded victory.
The former tax inspector rose in the shadow of popular flamethrower Sonko, who supported Faye, who was barred from running in Sunday's presidential election.
Released from prison on March 14, Ally embarked on a whirlwind campaign tour, with jubilant crowds chanting “Sonko mooi Diomaye, Diomaye mooi Sonko” or “Sonko is Diomaye, Diomaye is Sonko”. made me happy.
Along the trail, Fay, who has never held elected office, promised fundamental change for Senegal and left-wing Pan-Africanism.
He pitches himself as part of a new generation of politicians, believing in national sovereignty, a more fair distribution of wealth, and reforming what he sees as a corrupt judicial system.
He has also vowed to renegotiate oil and fishing contracts and says he is not afraid to create a new national currency to replace the CFA franc, a move that has attracted opposition to President Amadou Ba's government. This is a measure that has been criticized.
Fay's rivals accuse him of leading a group of “adventurers” who seek to pursue policies dangerous to the country.
～“Two sides of the same coin”～
Mr. Fay, a Muslim from a humble rural background, appeared at the final rally with his two wives in his trademark wide-boo-boo robes and followed in Mr. Sonko's footsteps by taking Senegal's administrative and judicial exams. , then became the head of Senegal. Sonko Labor Union.
The two founded the Pastev political party together in 2014, but authorities dissolved it last year.
“They have two different styles, and they are two sides of the same coin,” said Mustafa Sarr, a former Pastev activist trainer.
But Faye emerged from Sonko's shadow, towering over the sunroof of his campaign car, trying to win the hearts of his mentor's fans.
Murtala Diouf, 27, from the southern Casamance region, said, “Of course, Ousmane Sonko was a better candidate.But Sonko trusts Diomae, so I chose Diomae.'' I trust him,” he said.
“They share the same project.”
Faye even named one of her sons Usman in honor of her political colleague.
The two also spent time together in the same prison.
Faye was charged in April last year with multiple charges, including contempt of court, after broadcasting a message criticizing the judiciary in the case against Sonko.
Sonko was jailed with Faye in July on charges including calling for rebellion.
Hundreds of opposition politicians have been arrested since 2021, when Mr Sonko began a violent conflict with the state that sparked deadly unrest.
The turmoil influenced outgoing President Macky Sall's decision to postpone elections, plunging the West African country into its worst political crisis in decades.
“Mr. President, you often say that I am stubborn and that we never get along, but we will always be together,” Fay told Sonko at a press conference the day after his release under the amnesty law.
Immediately after voting on Sunday, he called on Senegalese to “calm down” and “return once and for all to the peace that has been seriously destroyed in recent months and years.”
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