In a way of walking his talk, 44-year-old Bassirou Diomaye Faye became Senegal’s youngest president on Tuesday. The previously little-known Faye was in prison for his political beliefs two weeks before the election.
Hours after his inauguration, he named the popular opposition figure who helped catapult him to victory and who was also in prison with him, Ousmane Sonko, as prime minister.
The election shook Senegal’s reputation as a stable democracy.
The new president said, “I am aware that the results of the elections express a profound desire for systemic change. Through my election, the Senegalese people have committed to building a sovereign, just and prosperous Senegal in a progressing Africa.”
Faye is a former tax inspector; this is his first elective post. Before his election, Senegal’s youths are very frustrated. Like others across Africa, they are frustrated with poverty on a continent with many resources. They are also concerned about the leaders widely accused of corruption and entrenching themselves in power for decades.
