The governing coalition’s candidate, former Prime Minister Amadou Ba, on Monday conceded defeat to Faye hours after saying he was ready for a run-off vote. A candidate requires more than 50 percent of votes to prevent a run-off.
The electoral body has yet to release details about the results as vote counting is under way. Official results are expected to be announced in the coming days.
Here is more about presidential candidate Faye and what the results may mean for the future of Senegal’s democracy.
Who is Bassirou Diomaye Faye?
Faye has been thrust into the centre of Senegalese politics more than a week after he was released from prison along with his firebrand mentor Ousmane Sonko, who was disqualified from standing in the election because of a defamation conviction.
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.
The left-wing populist has been organising protests against President Macky Sall accusing his government of corruption and failing to address chronic poverty. Sall’s decision to extend the elections originally scheduled for February triggered the latest round of political crisis.
Supporters of Senegal’s presidential candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye have taken to the streets of the capital, Dakar, in celebration as early results from Sunday’s vote showed the opposition contender in the lead.
The celebrations came as at least five of the 17 candidates in the race issued statements congratulating Faye on what they called his victory.
But his main rival from the ruling coalition, former Prime Minister Amadou Ba, said the celebrations were premature.
However, Senegal’s former Prime Minister Amadou Ba has congratulated rival opposition candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye for winning the presidential election.
Results trickling in since polls closed on Sunday evening in the first round of a delayed presidential election suggested Faye, 44, may have clinched an outright majority. The trends announced on local media sparked street celebrations by his supporters in the capital Dakar.
“For our part, and considering the feedback of the results from our team of experts, we are certain that, in the worst case scenario, we will go to a run-off,” Ba’s campaign said in a statement.There was no immediate comment from Faye.
Millions in Senegal took place in Sunday’s vote to elect the country’s fifth president. It followed three years of unprecedented political turbulence that sparked violent antigovernment protests and buoyed support for the opposition.
At stake is the potential end of an administration led by outgoing President Macky Sall, who is stepping down after a second term marred by unrest over the prosecution of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko and concerns that the president wanted to extend his mandate past the constitutional limit.
The incumbent was not on the ballot for the first time in Senegal’s history. His ruling coalition picked 62-year-old Ba as its candidate.
Sonko, in jail until recently, was disqualified from the race because of a defamation conviction. He is backing Faye, the co-creator of his now-dissolved PASTEF party, who was also detained almost a year ago on charges including defamation and contempt of court.
An amnesty law passed this month allowed their release days before the vote.
He and his colleague Diomaye have campaigned together under the banner “Diomaye is Sonko”.About 7.3 million people were registered to vote in the country of approximately 18 million. Turnout was at about 71 percent, according to state television RTS.
Election day ran smoothly with no major incidents reported.
The first set of tallies announced on television showed Faye had won the majority of votes.
Jubilant crowds gathered in Sonko’s neighbourhood in Dakar, with supporters setting off fireworks, waving Senegalese flags and blowing vuvuzelas.
“This is really an unusual election,” said Al Jazeera’s Nicolas Haque, reporting from outside Sonko’s home. “People are celebrating outside the home of a politician who is not even in the running – Ousmane Sonko. For the people here, the fact that this election even took place is a reason to celebrate. There has been so much pent-up emotion being released. On these streets just weeks ago, there were riots, demonstrators protesting for this election to take place.”
He added: “No one has claimed victory. The counting is still under way, but there are some notable candidates who have all congratulated Faye.”
They included one of the main contenders, Anta Babacar Ngom, who wished Faye success as leader of Senegal in a statement.
