Senegal: Top Court Confirms Diomaye Faye as President-Elect

Facts

• Senegal's Constitutional Council has confirmed opposition candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye's presidential election victory. The 44-year-old is due to be sworn in on Tuesday.¹
• The country's top court on Friday validated provisional results released earlier in the week based on vote tallies from polling stations.²
• Faye received 54.28% of the votes, while his closest rival, the ruling coalition candidate Amadou Ba, took about 35.79%, with voter turnout at around 61%.³
• Released from prison less than 10 days before the vote, he emerged as a strong candidate after his ally and disqualified opposition leader Ousmane Sonko endorsed him to run in his place.⁴
• This is the first time that an opposition candidate has won the presidential election in the first round of voting since Senegal gained independence from France in 1960.⁵

Sources: ¹Africanews, ²Reuters, ³XINHUA, ⁴Al Jazeera and ⁵Guardian.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Democracy Now. That the Senegalese people were able to elect an opposition leader imprisoned just days before the election is an impressive surprise, especially after all the attempts from the outgoing Pres. Macky Sall to cling to power beyond his constitutional term — including postponing the vote. His victory is a triumph for the country and its democratic system.
• Narrative B, as provided by Economist. Senegal has again demonstrated its democratic stability, despite the scaremongering that preceded the vote. However, the nation has chosen a new president that, similar to new coup leaders in neighboring countries, represents a populist reaction to regional problems. It's unclear whether this vote for rupture will be the right choice for the country's future.

Predictions