Newly elected Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has formally appointed opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko the country’s new prime minister.
Faye, 44, made the announcement early on Wednesday, appointing his close ally who enjoys support among young Senegalese.
Faye had taken the oath of office just hours previously.
Obi condemns manner of LP Chairman Abure’s ‘humiliating’ arrest
Sonko, 49, has a reputation as an opponent of corruption, a critic of the country’s elites, a pan-Africanist and as a conservative Muslim.
He had been prevented from running for the presidency at the end of March after receiving a six-month suspended sentence for allegedly libeling a minister he had accused of corruption.
In June he was handed a two-year prison sentence in relation to a charge of abuse of a 20-year-old woman.
Faye was held in custody himself for 11 months on account of a Facebook posting in which he expressed criticism of the country’s legal establishment.
Mass demonstrations and riots erupted in response as they had previously to Sonko’s arrest in 2021.
Sonko and Faye were both released from prison 10 days before the presidential elections.
Faye, one of Africa’s youngest presidents, was elected more than a week ago with 54.28 per cent of the vote in the country of some 18 million.
He succeeded Macky Sall, who had served as president from 2012.
The government candidate, Amadou Ba, secured 35.79 per cent.
Inauguration
Senegal inaugurated Africa’s youngest elected leader as president on Tuesday, as the 44-year-old and previously little-known Bassirou Diomaye Faye completed a dramatic ascent from prison to palace within weeks.
Last month’s election tested Senegal’s reputation as a stable democracy in West Africa, a region rocked in recent years by coups and attempted coups.
Faye was released from prison less than two weeks before the vote, along with mentor and popular opposition figure Ousmane Sonko, following a political amnesty announced by outgoing President Macky Sall.
Their arrests had sparked months of protests and concerns that Sall would seek a third term in office despite term limits.
Rights groups said dozens were killed and about 1,000 were jailed.
In his first speech as president, Faye remembered those killed and arrested during the protests and promised to deliver greater sovereignty for Senegal while working to build prosperity.
“I am aware that the results of the elections express a profound desire for systemic change,” he said.
This is the first elected office for Faye, a former tax inspector.
