“Courtesy”, smiles and hand on the shoulder. The Senegalese presidency published photos on Thursday March 28 of a new extraordinary moment in a sequence that has not lacked in two months of crisis: the reception at the presidential palace of Bassirou Diomaye Faye by the outgoing Macky Sall. Bassirou Diomaye Faye was accompanied by his mentor, Ousmane Sonko.
President @Macky_Sall received his successor, President @DiomayeFaye.
A meeting marked by courtesy during which the two men discussed major state issues, as well as the oath-taking and handover ceremony. pic.twitter.com/a6sz37Tzdf
— Senegal Presidency (@PR_Senegal) March 28, 2024
Ousmane Sonko and Bassirou Diomaye Faye waged a fierce battle for three years against Macky Sall's power which left dozens dead and landed them in prison for several months, before their release in the middle of the electoral campaign in mid-March.
The photos show the three smiling men greeting each other and Bassirou Diomaye Faye placing his hand on the shoulder of his future predecessor.
The outgoing president of Senegal, Macky Sall (left), welcomes his expected successor, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, at the presidential palace in Dakar, March 28, 2024. © Senegalese Presidency via AFP
The presidency spoke of a "courtesy meeting during which (Macky Sall and Bassirou Diomaye Faye) discussed in depth major state issues, as well as the swearing-in and handover ceremony." It is “the beginning of a significant political transition,” she said.
After weeks of confusion which raised fears of a postponement of the election until December or a vacuum of power, the apparatus is working to forcefully re-establish the norm of regulated transition which characterizes the country and to make possible a handover in accordance with tradition between the outgoing Macky Sall and his successor by next week.
The body responsible for proclaiming the provisional final results made them public on Wednesday even though it had until Friday to do so. The anti-system opponent, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who was still in prison two weeks ago, won in the first round on Sunday with 54.28% of the votes, far ahead of the government candidate Amadou Ba (35.79%). ).
It is now the turn of the Constitutional Council to examine possible appeals from candidates and to declare Bassirou Diomaye Faye definitively the winner, or to cancel the election, a highly implausible hypothesis.
Instead of the 72 hours normally planned, the Council gave any protesters until Thursday midnight (Friday 00:00 GMT) to come forward, probably to ensure that a handover takes place before April 2, the official end date. of Macky Sall's mandate.
“Last” Council of Ministers of Macky Sall
President Macky Sall caused a commotion by decreeing the postponement of the presidential election initially scheduled for February 25 and finally scheduled for March 24. In addition to the agitation it caused, this postponement compressed deadlines and sowed doubt about the possibility of a handover before the expiration of his mandate.
A timely transfer is important in a country that prides itself on its democratic practices and is considered one of the most stable in coup-riddled West Africa.
In the absence of dispute, the Constitutional Council may proclaim "immediately the final results of the vote", says the Constitution.
See alsoBassirou Diomaye Faye, president of Senegal: towards a real rupture?
However, Bassirou Diomaye Faye's opponents have recognized his victory and none have until now publicly expressed the intention of raising an objection. The provisional results appear to make Bassirou Diomaye Faye's victory irrefutable while confirming the magnitude of what amounts to a political earthquake.
Bassirou Diomaye Faye is the first opponent to win in the first round since the independence of Senegal in 1960.
Never before held a national elective office, at 44 he is expected to become the fifth and youngest president of the country of 18 million inhabitants.
Its advent could herald a profound systemic challenge. He presents himself as the man of "rupture" with twelve years of Sall presidency, of the reestablishment of a "sovereignty" sold off according to him abroad, and of a "left-wing Pan-Africanism". He vows to fight corruption and injustice.
President Macky Sall chaired what his services described as his “last” council of ministers on Wednesday. He asked the government to “take all the necessary measures” to prepare the handover files, with a view to “the installation in the best conditions” of the new president.
With AFP
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