Senegal’s youngest president Diomaye Faye sworn in
Senegal’s fifth and youngest president Bassirou Diomaye Faye was sworn into office at a ceremony in the capital, Dakar on Tuesday.
Mr. Faye, 44, won the delayed elections in March 2024, securing 54% of the vote, ahead of his main challenger Amadou Ba.
The former political detainee defeated Ba, the candidate of outgoing President Macky Sall’s ruling coalition, by a landslide in the first round of voting.
On Friday, the country’s Constitutional Council confirmed him as the winner, according to the BBC.
Heads of state and regional representatives attended the inauguration, including Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo and African Union Commission Chair Moussa Faki Mahamat.
“Before God and before the Senegalese nation, I swear to faithfully fulfil the office of President of the Republic of the Republic of Senegal,” Faye said in his inaugural address.
“…..to observe as well as to conscientiously abide by the provisions of the constitution and the laws, to devote all my power to defending the constitutional institutions, the integrity of the territory, national independence and to spare no effort to achieve African unity.”
The new president has vowed to tackle corruption and introduce a series of economic reforms to prioritise national interests, including the re-negotiation of oil, gas and mineral contracts with foreign operators.
The smooth transition follows three years of political turmoil that had raised concern about wanning democracy in the coup-prone West African region, Reuters reported.
Millions queued for hours to cast their ballot in an election that eventually took place on March 24 after unsuccessful attempts by Sall’s government to postpone it from February to December, then June.
The move stoked frustration against Sall, whose popularity dropped over the course of his second mandate due to economic hardship, a crackdown on dissent, and concerns that he would tamper with the constitution to run for a third term.
