The presidential election victory of opposition candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye has been confirmed by Senegal’s Constitutional Council, Africa Today News, New York reports.
The confirmation on Saturday has removed all the stumbling blocks on the way for his inauguration as the country’s fifth president, which is expected to take place on April 2.
The top court validated provisional results announced on Wednesday based on vote tallies from 100 percent of polling stations.
Africa Today News, New York reports that Faye, a presumably anti-establishment candidate and ally of popular opposition figure Ousmane Sonko – won more than 54 percent of votes cast in last Sunday’s delayed presidential poll.
His closest competitor in the polls, ruling coalition candidate Amadou Ba who was handpicked by outgoing President Macky Sall, took about 35 percent of the vote.
The Council said no objections had been raised by the other contenders. At age 44, Faye becomes Africa’s youngest president.
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The African Union hailed the “unanimous acceptance of the results”. African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat said he “warmly congratulates” Faye on his victory and wished him “full success in his weighty and noble charge”.
French President Emmanuel Macron also offered Faye “warm congratulations” and said France wanted to “continue and intensify the partnership” between their countries, his office said.
Faye’s victory came just 10 days after he was freed from prison. He has said he wants a “break” with the current political system.
Analysts said his win reflected a protest against the outgoing leadership and divisions within a powerful, but weakened, governing coalition.
Millions in Senegal took part in the vote last Sunday.
The polls followed three years of political turbulence that led to violent antigovernment protests, which garnered greater support for the opposition.
Going into the election, Faye was seen as a strong contender to replace Sall, after his ally Sonko was disqualified from the ballot because of a suspended jail sentence following a conviction for defamation. Sonko endorsed Faye to run in his place.
Although Faye was imprisoned last April and charged with contempt of court, defamation and acts likely to compromise public peace, after posting a message critical of the justice system, he was not convicted of any crime and was able to stand in the election