Politics

44-year-old Bassirou Faye set to become Senegal’s president

Published

1 month ago

March 26, 2024

The leading opposition candidate in Sunday’s presidential election in Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, is set to become the president-elect of the West African country.

Faye, who was released from prison only a few days ago, is winning with almost 54% of the vote, with 90% of the ballots counted by the electoral commission.

Following the counting of 90% of the polling station results, the Senegalese Electoral Commission declared that Faye had secured 53.68% of the vote, while Amadou Ba, the candidate for the ruling coalition, secured 36.2% of the vote.

For him, everything changed in July when fiery popular leader and fellow detainee, Ousmane Sonko, was accused of insurrection and disqualified from contesting to succeed President Macky Sall in elections. This cleared the way for Faye to seize control of the race, and on Monday, his 44th birthday, emerge victorious after his opponent gave up.

Much of Faye’s success can be attributed to the support of Sonko who enjoys high popularity, particularly among young people.

Other presidential contenders had called Faye to concede defeat. Ba, another major contender in the election, in a statement, said, “In light of presidential election result trends and while we await the official proclamation, I congratulate… Faye for his victory in the first round.”

Shortly before the announcement, outgoing President Macky Sall also congratulated Faye, “I salute the smooth running of the presidential election of March 24, 2024, and congratulate the winner, Mr. Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who the trends show as the winner. It is the victory of Senegalese democracy.”

“In electing me, the Senegalese people have decided on a break with a past,” Faye told journalists in his first public appearance since the election. “your I promise to govern with humility and transparency.”

Many anticipate that following three years of unparalleled political upheaval and multiple waves of lethal anti-government protests, the vote will bring economic stability and a boost. Already, there are reports that Faye’s imminent victory have caused Senegal’s international bonds to rise, reversing steep declines from earlier in the day.

The Dakar appeals court is anticipated to release the complete, official results on Friday.

Senegal is a republic with multiple parties. The president, who is chosen by universal adult direct suffrage and is eligible for two five-year terms, is the head of state under the 2001 constitution, which established a highly centralized presidential system. The president appoints the prime minister, who leads the government.

Related Topics:Bassirou Diomaye Faye Featured Senegal

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Politics

Mozambique: Ruling FRELIMO announces Chapo as presidential candidate

Published

21 hours ago

May 7, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Daniel Chapo has announced that he will run for president in the October election on behalf of the ruling FRELIMO party in Mozambique.

Since achieving independence in 1975, FRELIMO has ruled the nation in southern Africa, and the party is hoping that Chapo can lead it to another win in the election on October 9.

“The soap opera of speculation is over, including speculation about the third term,” President Filipe Nyusi said on state television on Sunday, dismissing the prospect of contesting elections again.

“We must all unite around comrade Daniel Francisco Chapo, in the demanding march towards electoral victory next October,” Nyusi said.

The president of Mozambique is limited to two terms of five years by the constitution. Nevertheless, following his reelection as party leader in 2022, there had been conjecture in the media that Nyusi may run for a third term.

Chapo, a relatively unknown person in national politics, is the governor of the province of Inhambane in southern Mozambique. As to the party announcement, he secured 225 votes (about 94%) from the central committee of the party.

“We are going to work with all social strata,” Chapo said on television after his win.

Chapo, a former radio host, was born in 1977, making him the first candidate for FRELIMO to be born since the nation gained its independence.

He has served in many governmental capacities, most notably as an administrator of the districts of Nacala and Palma. He also has a master’s degree in development management and a law degree.

Politics

Again, Rwanda denies it attacked displaced persons in DR Congo

Published

4 days ago

May 4, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

For the sixteenth time, Rwanda refuted US charges on Saturday that its troops attacked a camp for internally displaced persons in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), placing the blame instead on militants it claimed were backed by the military of the Congo.

The US State Department released a statement in which it vehemently denounced the incident that claimed at least nine lives on Friday.

There have been persistent accusations against Rwanda of providing support to the armed organizations, which has resulted in diplomatic tensions between the neighbours in East Africa.

Citing the threat that Rwanda’s surface-to-air missile systems posed to civilians, U.N. and other regional peacekeepers, aid workers, and commercial aircraft operating in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the US demanded in February that Rwanda remove its systems and all of its armed forces from the DRC immediately. Rwanda denies providing any assistance to the rebels.

According to the U.S. statement, the M23 rebel group, which Rwanda supports, and the Rwandan Defense Forces (RDF) held the positions from which the attack was launched. The United States is “gravely concerned about the recent RDF and M23 expansion” in eastern Congo.

Speaking on behalf of the Rwandan government, Yolande Makolo refuted claims that the RDF was responsible for the attack, blaming instead rebels backed by the Congolese military.

“The RDF, a professional army, would never attack an IDP (displaced persons). Look to the lawless FDLR and Wazalendo supported by the FARDC (Congolese military) for this kind of atrocity,” she said in a post on X.

Wazalendo is a Christian sect, while the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) is a Hutu organization that was founded by Hutu officials who left Rwanda after planning the 1994 genocide.

Thousands of people from the surrounding areas have fled to Goma in eastern Congo as a result of the M23 rebels’ two-year offensive, which has advanced toward the city in recent months.