Early congratulations flood in as Senegalese opposition is set to win polls
Senegalese opposition candidate, Bassirou Diomaye Faye is set to become the country’s next president after his main rival today acknowledged his victory in the elections that came barely days after he was freed from prison.
This win will make him Senegal’s youngest president at 44 years of age where he has promised to renegotiate gas and oil contracts, with Senegal due to start production on recently discovered oil and gas reserves later this year.
Although, he has never held a nationally elected position and has not yet spoken publicly since Sunday’s election, which followed three years of unrest and a political crisis.
His main rival from the governing coalition, Amadou Ba, recognised Faye’s win in the first-round of the vote and offered his congratulations, a statement said.
Senegal’s President-Elect Diomaye Faye!
“Considering the trends of the presidential election results and awaiting the official declaration, I congratulate the president Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye on his victory in the first round,” Ba said in the statement.
In addition, Government spokesman Abdou Karim Fofana also said that Ba had called his rival to congratulate him.
Hundreds of jubilant Faye supporters had gathered at his campaign headquarters in the capital, Dakar late Sunday to celebrate his early lead and at least 10 of the 17 presidential candidates had earlier today congratulated Faye in light of provisional results published by the media.
Dolupo Balogun
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