Several opposition candidates in the Senegalese presidential elections announced on Sunday that their competitor, Basséri Diumai Faye, had won after preliminary results showed him in the lead, prompting his supporters to take to the streets to celebrate early. Faye, the Secretary-General of the "Pastef" party, had been imprisoned since April 2023 on charges of contempt of court, defamation, and actions that could undermine public peace, according to one of his lawyers, following the broadcasting of a message criticizing the judiciary.
He joined the National School of Administration and Judiciary in 2004, and after graduating, he chose to become a tax inspector. Faye was a guest at the founding of the "Pastef" party, quickly rising to become one of the prominent figures within it. In February 2021, he became the party's Secretary-General after the previous Secretary-General, Ousmane Sonko, was arrested on rape charges.
Amid uncertainties about Sonko's ability to run in the presidential elections, the party put Faye forward as its candidate, despite his imprisonment. Faye was released from prison in March and became a prominent presidential contender. He claims to believe in systemic change and leftist African nationalism to restore Senegal's sovereignty, a message some analysts see as a signal of his intentions to distance the country from Western powers, particularly the former colonial ruler, France. He has also vowed to fight against the "French economic grip" on Senegal if elected.
