(3 Minutes Read)
Other than being coworkers in a political party, both Sonko and Faye have a common background and worked as former tax inspectors.
In a significant development, Ousmane Sonko is nominated as the new prime minister of Senegal by his close aid and co-worker in the party, the elected president Bassirou Diomaye Faye. Sonko (49) pushed the name Faye when he was barred from standing in the March 24 presidential election because of a conviction for defamation. Faye was little known in Senegal, while Sonko was known as an icon of the youth and a firebrand leader. The enmity between the previous president Macky Sally and Sonko was well known.
Other than being coworkers in a political party, both Sonko and Faye have a common background and worked as former tax inspectors. They have positioned themselves as opponents of corruption and abhor the elitist French colonial connections. Sonko’s appointment as prime minister will increase the prestige of the position which was removed several times in the country’s political landscape. Sonko is expected to present Faye with a list of proposed ministers for his approval in the coming days.
It is expected soon that Senegal will delink from the CFA franc as it was one of the major planks in which they fought the election and mobilized the support of the youth against former president Macky Sall. Together, they will work to reform the West African Monetary Union in collaboration with its seven other members.
Sonko has faced arrest and trial several times in the past years, after rising to prominence when he came third in the 2019 presidential election as the head of the party he founded, the African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity (Pastef). He was accused of rape in 2021 and detained, which triggered a wave of deadly clashes between police and his young supporters. He was ultimately convicted of morally corrupting a young person in that case, and the rape charge was dropped. Again in 2023, he was arrested on the charge of fomenting insurrection, criminal conspiracy, and other offenses. Sonko said the charges were fabricated and politically motivated.
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Both Sonko and Faye are devout Muslims. Sonko is in favour of harsher laws against homosexuality in Senegal, where more than 90% of the population is Muslim. Gay sex is already punishable by jail time.
