NEWS- Senegal’s new President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has appointed key opposition politician and financier Ousmane Sonko as Prime Minister in his first act as the West African nation’s leader.
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye made the announcement shortly after he was sworn into office and pledged systemic change after years of deadly turmoil under his predecessor, former President Macky Sall who was a political opponent of Sonko.
Speaking after his appointment, Sonko said he would present President Faye with a full list of proposed ministerial appointments for his approval as the law in Senegal demands. President Faye took the presidential oath in front of hundreds of officials and several African Heads of State at an exhibition centre in the new town of Diamniadio, near the capital, Dakar.
President Faye aged 44 years, has never previously held elected office and he swept to a first-round victory on a promise of radical reform just 10 days after being released from prison.
An economist based in Dakar, Lena Sene, told journalists that President Faye faces a very difficult challenge as President since he cannot change an entire administration in one day, but need to put systems in place in order to fight corruption.
Prime Minister designate Sonko aged 49 years was at the centre of a two-year standoff with the state that triggered bouts of deadly unrest was popular among Senegal’s youth, but was disqualified from running in the March 24 presidential race due to a defamation conviction, and he picked Faye as his replacement on the presidential ballot.
While campaigning jointly under the slogan “Diomaye is Sonko,” Sonko urged supporters to vote for his top lieutenant, Faye, who ultimately won with more than 54 percent of the vote in the first round.
President Faye, a former tax inspector, is Senegal’s fifth president since independence from France in 1960 has acknowledged the country’s desire for “systemic change”, and pledged to strengthen the country’s democracy and establish an independent judiciary.
President Faye now faces the challenge of carrying out national reconciliation, while easing the cost-of-living crisis, fighting corruption and appearing as someone not subservient to Sonko and has also promised to restore national sovereignty over key assets such as the oil, gas and fishing sectors.
The new government also needs to create enough jobs in a nation where 75 percent of the 18 million population is aged under 35, and the unemployment rate is officially 20 percent.
Additional Reporting from Aljazzera Africa
