Bassirou Diomaye Faye, elected president of Senegal. Screenshot from video “Le premier discours de Bassirou Diomaye Faye” on the TV Monde YouTube channel. Fair use. After a period of demonstrations caused by the delay of the original election date, the people of Senegal elected a new president in the presidential elections held on March 24, 2024. Preliminary results showed that Bassirou Diomaye Faye had been elected as the new president of the country for the next five years. However, at first, Bassirou Diomaye Faye had little chance of participating in the elections as he had been imprisoned since April 2023 on charges of defamation and contempt of court. In July 2023, his mentor and the president of the PASTEF party, Ousmane Sonko, was also imprisoned for rape and defamation. These two political figures are members of the opposition party, the Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics, and Fraternity (PASTEF), which is popular among young people (more than 70 percent of the population) who are tired of a government that does not offer job prospects. On several occasions, the PASTEF party had called on the population to express their frustration with President Macky Sall's regime. These protests, often met with repression, had at times resulted in fatalities and injuries in a climate of social and political tension. In July 2023, the government dissolved PASTEF for frequently calling on the population to engage in “insurrectionary movements.” Even before the electoral process was set in motion on October 31, 2023, Sonko was excluded from the electoral lists and was therefore unable to run as a candidate. His party then opted for a Plan B, which positioned Bassirou Diomaye Faye as the new presidential candidate. Despite being in prison, Bassirou Diomaye Faye's candidacy was accepted by the Constitutional Council. When the electoral campaign began on March 9, he was still behind bars, along with Sonko. However, following the promulgation by President Macky Sall of a general amnesty law that was passed by parliament on March 7, they were released on March 14 and were able to participate in the electoral campaign and present their programme to the Senegalese population. The day after the March 24 election, preliminary results indicated a win for the PASTEF candidate in the Senegalese presidential election. The National Electoral Commission has the authority to announce the provisional results before they are validated by the Constitutional Council. The electoral commission announced that Bassirou Diomaye Faye had won the election with a large margin, receiving 54.28 percent of the votes. His closest competitor, Amadou Ba, the candidate of the ruling party, received 35.79 percent of the votes. The turnout for the election was 61 percent. This video report by France24 provides details of the election results: At the announcement of Faye's victory, the youth let out a sigh of relief. For many, the break with the old regime was now official, and they can hope for positive changes. Some shared their opinions on the candidate of the youth's victory with France24: Following the election, congratulations poured in from all directions. Amadou Ba, the candidate of the regime, made sure to extend his heartfelt congratulations to the new president. On his X account (formerly Twitter), he wrote: Au regard des tendances des résultats de l’élection présidentielle et en attendant la proclamation officielle, je félicite le Président Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye pour sa victoire dès le premier tour. Je prie le Tout Puissant lui accorder l’énergie et la force nécessaires pour assumer cette haute fonction à la tête de notre pays. Je lui souhaite beaucoup de réussite et de succès pour le bien-être du peuple sénégalais. — Amadou BA (@amadou_ba_) March 25, 2024 Given the preliminary results of the presidential election and awaiting the official announcement, I would like to congratulate President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye on his first-round victory. I pray that the Almighty grants him the energy and strength necessary to fulfil this high office in our country. I wish him much success and prosperity for the well-being of the Senegalese people. —Amadou BA (@amadou_ba_) March 25, 2024 The outgoing president, Macky Sall, also did the same: Je salue le bon déroulement de l’élection présidentielle du 24 mars 2024 et félicite le vainqueur, M. Bassirou Diomaye Faye, que les tendances donnent gagnant. C’est la victoire de la démocratie sénégalaise. — Macky Sall (@Macky_Sall) March 25, 2024 I applaud the successful conduct of the presidential election on March 24, 2024, and offer my congratulations to the winner, Mr Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who is projected to win. This is a triumph for Senegalese democracy.