By Ayo Kehinde
In his first post election statements, Senegal opposition presidential candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye has promised to govern with humility and transparency.
The new president, after his government sponsored rival called to concede defeat, has thanked president Macky Sall and other candidates in the Sunday election in which he scored 53 per cent of the votes despite prediction of a re-run, for respecting the democratic wishes of the people and tradition of the country by recognizing his victory well before the announcement of official results.
The 44 -year –old president-elect said by choosing him from among other rivals in a free and fair poll, the people of Senegal have taken the decision to break from the past. In his first post- election public appearance, he told journalists: “I promise to govern with humility.”
Yet to be announced results showed that Faye scored 53.7 per cent while his main rival from the current governing coalition, Amadou Ba, scored 36.2 per cent based on tallies from 90 per cent of polling station in the first- round vote, the electoral Commission said on Tuesday.
President Sall and Ba both have since congratulated Faye. They hailed the results as a win for the West African country, which has the reputation as one of the most stable democracy in the region but almost became a conflict zone when Sall postponed the election indefinitely and the people had to mount a long spell of violent street demonstrations until ECOWAS leaders intervened and called Sall to order.
Faced with a high probability of coup plot by the country’s restive army whose colleagues in neighbouring Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso have toppled civilian government in almost similar circumstances that was brewing in Senegal, Sall had to bite the bullet and called election.
“The Senegalese people have reinforced the good health of our democracy. I wish him success at the head of our country,” a repentant Sall said in conceding defeat to Faye.
