FAYE: Senegal elects radical 44-year-old as president

Senegal is set to be confirmed to have elected the radical opposition candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye as its new president.

He takes over Macky Sall who conceded defeat on Monday.

Voters rejected Sall’s chosen successor, the immediate former Prime Minister Amadou Ba.

Ba conceded defeat even as the country’s electoral body has not confirmed results.

Faye positioned himself as:

Anti-establishment and System Change: Faye advocates for a major shift in Senegal’s political system. He isn’t interested in tweaking the existing structures but rather a more fundamental change.
Left-wing Pan-Africanism: Faye believes in working with other African nations to strengthen Senegal’s position and reduce reliance on foreign powers. Some analysts see this as a way to distance Senegal from France, the former colonial ruler,
Economic Sovereignty: Faye has pledged to fight what he sees as French economic dominance in Senegal. This likely includes renegotiating mining and resource extraction deals with foreign companies
Anti-Corruption: Faye has promised to crack down on corruption, a major concern for many Senegalese voters

His positions have seen him worry Western capitals with many of them expressing their worry over his economic outlook.

The win comes just over a week after he was released from prison.