From Prison to President: Who is Diomaye Faye, the anti-establishment candidate handed Sonko’s “birth right” as Senegal’s next president?

Until a few months ago, Bassirou Diomaye Faye was a little-known leading political operative in Ousmane Sonko’s disbanded PASTEF party. Now, even though it is yet to be officially declared, he is the President-elect of Senegal against all odds, thanks to Sonko’s loyal base.

When sworn in, Faye will be Senegal’s youngest ever president celebrating his 44^th birthday on the day of his election victory.

But who is Bassirou Diomaye Faye?

Bassirou Diomaye Faye is the anointed candidate of Senegal’s firebrand opposition leader Ousmane Sonko.

Faye was born in 1980 in west-central Senegal’s Ndiaganiao. He met Sonko while working as a tax inspector in the government’s taxes and estates department, where they were instrumental in the formation of the Taxes and Estates Union.

Education

According to Faye's biography on his campaign website, he was often the top of his class growing up. He graduated from high school on Senegal's southern coast in 2000, then studied law and got a master's degree from Dakar's Cheikh Anta Diop University.

In 2004, the devout Muslim passed the competitive entrance exam to Senegal's National School of Administration which trains the former French colony's top civil servants, where he specialised as a tax inspector.

Detention

He was arrested in April 2023, a few months before Sonko was also held, and charged with contempt of court and defaming magistrates, charges Faye had denied. Crucially, unlike Sonko, he was not barred from running in elections.

Campaign Policies

Mr. Faye and Mr. Sonko have captivated young people by excoriating political elites, pledging to renegotiate contracts with oil and gas companies, and promising “monetary sovereignty” signaling a departure from the popular CFA even though they’ve toned down on its implementation

Road to Victory

The 44-year-old leader contested the elections as an independent due to the dissolution of his Patriots of Senegal (PASTEF) party last July for causing unrest. The PASTEF party, which was founded by Sonko in 2014, endorsed Faye.

A coalition of more than 100 parties, and some political heavyweights including former prime minister Aminata Toure, joined Faye's campaign under the banner "Doimaye mooy Sonko", which in the local wolof language means "Diomaye is Sonko."

Mr. Sonko has been keen to emphasize that a vote for Mr. Faye — known to many as Diomaye — was a vote for him.

Personal life

Faye is married with two wives; Marie Khone Faye and Absa Faye and has four children.

Source: AEP and NEWS AGENCIES

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