Senegal’s President-elect pledges to fight corruption after stunning victory

DAKAR: Senegal woke up Tuesday to a new presidentelect, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, a former tax inspector and political newcomer who was released from prison just weeks ago and had inspired voters, many of them unemployed youth, with a vow to fight corruption and reform the economy.

Faye was catapulted into a presidential campaign after popular opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, who was barred from running due to a prior conviction, had backed him. As he gave his first speech as president-elect on Monday evening, it represented a dramatic rise for the 44-year-old who is due to be the youngest leader of the West African nation.

“I pledge to govern with humility and transparency, and to fight corruption at all levels. I pledge to devote myself fully to rebuilding our institutions,” he said, restating promises made during his campaign. While official results of Sunday’s vote were not yet available, the other front-runner the former prime minister who was backed by incumbent President Macky Sall had conceded defeat. Sall followed with congratulations, also naming Faye as the winner.

The election followed months of unrest ignited by Faye and Sonko’s arrest last year, and concerns that the president would seek a third term in office despite constitutional term limits. The violence shook Senegal’s reputation as a stable democracy in a region that has seen a wave of coups. Rights groups said dozens were killed in the protests, while some 1,000 people were jailed. Considered the anti-establishment candidate, Faye’s campaign messages of economic reform and anticorruption resonated with the youth.