The African Union congratulated anti-establishment opposition candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye on his victory in Senegal’s presidential election and praised the “unanimous acceptance of the results” on Friday.
In a statement, African Union Commission President Moussa Faki Mahamat said he “warmly congratulates” Faye on the formal declaration of his first-round triumph, while wishing him “full success in his weighty and noble charge”.
According to preliminary results, Faye won the first round of voting outright with 54.3 percent, significantly ahead of incumbent Macky Sall’s hand-picked opponent, former Prime Minister Amadou Ba.
Senegal’s Constitutional Court could proclaim Faye the official winner before the weekend, allowing for a transition before April 2, the official end of Sall’s term.
Faye, 44, was released from prison 10 days before the election, along with his mentor Ousmane Sonko, who was forbidden from running due to a criminal conviction he claims was politically motivated.