Senegal: President Diomaye Faye vows never to betray his coalition
In a political climate often agitated by speculation, Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye chose the platform of the general assembly for the restructuring of the Diomaye Président coalition, held Saturday in Dakar, to send a strong message of unity and loyalty.
Addressing the members of the platform that carried him to the presidency in March 2024, the head of state solemnly reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to the political formations that had supported him, particularly Pastef, of which he was secretary general before his election.
Elected in the first round with 54.28% of the vote against the candidate of the then-ruling Benno Bokk Yakaar coalition, Bassirou Diomaye Faye recalled the exceptional context of this victory.
At the time, with Pastef having been dissolved by the former regime, his candidacy had to be constituted urgently, thanks to receipts from allied parties and intense political diplomacy conducted while he was still in detention.
It was with palpable emotion that he addressed his supporters: “This power, we conquered it with you, and we will exercise it with you. This coalition, I will never betray it.”
President of honor of the platform, Diomaye Faye also took advantage of this meeting to reaffirm his roots within Pastef, the party led by Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, whom he had himself designated as the presidential candidate initially planned for February 2024.
A declaration that comes at a opportune moment, as persistent speculation about possible tensions at the top of the state fueled political and media commentary.
The platform’s general supervisor, former Prime Minister Aminata Touré, announced news that consolidates the coalition’s territorial base: the membership of 278 mayors.
She also took the opportunity to call for a transformation of national political debate. “It is time for politicians to be bearers of ideas. The tone of political discourse must change,” she stressed, summarizing the ambition for renewal of practices carried by the coalition.
The Minister of Higher Education, Abdourahmane Diouf, affirmed that the parliamentary majority is “Diomayist,” thus highlighting the institutional solidity on which government action rests.
The coalition’s new internal regulations, adopted during this assembly, emphasize collective discipline, prohibiting any public position contrary to presidential orientations.
Receiving on this occasion the report of the National Dialogue on the political system, the head of state wanted to dispel once and for all any ambiguities about his relationship with Ousmane Sonko: “The Prime Minister said it. He is my friend. There is no conflict between us. The only fight that matters is the fight against the difficulties that Senegalese people endure.”
This presidential clarification, coupled with the Prime Minister’s message focused on agriculture and sovereignty, seems to indicate that the Senegalese executive wants to resolutely turn the page on quarrels to focus on what is essential: the development of the country.
