In 2014, Ousmane Sonko (then 39 years) invited his friend and fellow tax worker, Diomaye Faye (then 34 years), and other political newbies to form a political party, PASTEF.
The Party was led by Sonko and dominated by young Senegalese. Faye was the Secretary General while Sonko was the leader. In 2017, PASTEF competed for legislative election, they only got 1 sear out if 165.
In 2019, Sonko stood as the Presidential candidate of PASTEF, while Faye was his campaign manager. At the Presidential election, Sonko finished third with 687,523 (15.67%) votes, behind President Macky Sall (1st) and a former Prime Minister Idrissa Seck (2nd).
In 2022, PASTEF participated at the National Assembly election, and won 56 out of 165 seats. It became clear that Sonko was in strong position to win the 2024 Presidential election.
In 2023, President Sall government convicted Sonko on a trumped up charge just to block him from running for President.
The Government equally arrested Faye and imprisoned him just to keep them out. By July 2023, the Government disbanded PASTEF as a political party.
Later that year, the government disqualified Sonko from running for President citing the conviction. But Sonko and PASTEF had a backup plan, Faye.
Faye was sponsored as backup candidate for President while Sonko challenged his disqualification at the court. Though the court reversed it, the government didn’t implement the reversal.
The election was scheduled for March 24 after the opposition resisted its proposed postponement. On March 14 (10 days to the election), the government released Sonko and Faye from jail.
Immediately they were released, Sonko and PASTEF announced Faye as their candidate. They campaigned for just 9 days, and was backed by young people of Senegal.
At the election that was held on March 24, Faye polled 2,434,110 votes (54.34%), defeating the immediate past Prime Minister Amadou Ba who polled 1,603,713 votes (35.8%). Ba was the candidate President Sall ruling coalition.
By April 2nd, Faye and Sonko will form the next Government of Senegal. I predict that Sonko will be named the Prime Minister of Faye’s Government. I wish them success. This is a wake up call to Nigeria Youths.
Tonye Barcanista
Photo: Senegal President Macky Sall (middle), Senegal President-elect Diomaye Faye (right) and Ousmane Sonko (left).
