Prior to having the support of Senegal’s most potent opposition politician, Ousmane Sonko, 44-year-old Bassirou Diomaye Faye was little known.
It is barely ten days since both men were released from prison.
Only ten days after being freed from prison, a young political outsider supported by a prominent opposition figure emerged victorious in Senegal’s presidential election,shocking everyone with the concession of his chief challenger.
Amadou Ba, the candidate for the governing party and Mr.Faye’s primary opponent, acknowledged in a statement on Monday that he prevailed in the first round.
Mr.Faye who turned 44 on Monday,will become the youngest president of the West African Nation.
He was awaiting trial after being imprisoned on defamation and contempt of court charges.
“I wish him a lot of success, for the well-being of the Senegalese people,” Mr. Ba said in a statement released Monday afternoon that addressed Mr. Faye as president.
The national electoral commission has not yet announced the votes but according to reports from local media, Mr.Faye had won more than 50 percent of the votes ruling a run-off.
