Senegal’s 44-year-old opposition candidate, Bassirou Diomaye Faye has been declared the winner of the March 21 presidential elections with 54% of the votes.
Faye was arrested in April 2023 for criticizing Senegal’s “unjust” judicial system on social media for being biased against main opposition leader Ousmane Sonko.
On March 14 Faye and Sonko were released from prison following widespread protests over attempts by Senegal’s President Macky Sall to postpone the elections.
PASTEF party leader Sonko endorsed his secretary general Faye after he was barred from contesting in Senegal’s 2024 presidential elections.
Faye came from prison to become Africa’s youngest head of state in less than 20 days after defeating the ruling Alliance for the Republic candidate Amadu Ba who came second with 36% of the votes.
“In light of presidential election result trends and while we await the official proclamation, I congratulate… Faye for his victory in the first round,” Ba had said in a statement in the afternoon.
Outgoing President Macky Sall offered his congratulations to Faye shortly before the electoral commission posted its results, writing: “
I salute the smooth running of the presidential election of March 24, 2024 and congratulate the winner, Mr. Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who the trends show as the winner. It is the victory of Senegalese democracy.
Senegal 2024 presidential election results
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Percentage (%) |
| Bassirou Diomaye Faye | PASTEF | 2,434,751 | 54.28 |
| Amadou Ba | Alliance for the Republic | 1,605,086 | 35.79 |
| Aliou Mamadou Dia | Party for Unity and Rally | 125,690 | 2.80 |
| Khalifa Sall | Manko Taxawu Sénégal | 69,760 | 1.56 |
| Idrissa Seck | Rewmi | 40,286 | 0.90 |
| Thierno Alassane Sall | Republic of Values | 25,946 | 0.58 |
| Boubacar Camara | Party of Construction and Solidarity | 23,359 | 0.52 |
| Aly Ngouille Ndiaye | Independent | 20,964 | 0.47 |
| Papa Djibril Fall | The Servants / MPR | 18,304 | 0.41 |
| Serigne Mboup | Independent | 16,049 | 0.36 |
| Déthié Fall | Republican Party for Progress | 15,836 | 0.35 |
| Daouda Ndiaye | Independent | 15,895 | 0.35 |
| Anta Babacar Ngom | Alternative for the Next Generation of Citizens | 15,457 | 0.34 |
| Cheikh Tidiane Dieye | Independent | 15,172 | 0.34 |
| Mamadou Diao | Independent | 14,591 | 0.33 |
| Mamadou Lamine Diallo | National Patriotic Union/Tekki | 9,998 | 0.22 |
| Mahammed Dionne | Independent | 8,435 | 0.19 |
| Malick Gakou | Grand Party | 6,343 | 0.14 |
| Habib Sy | Independent | 3,206 | 0.07 |
| Total valid votes | 4,485,128 | 100.00 | |
| Invalid votes | 34,125 | 0.76 | |
| Total votes | 4,519,253 | 100.00 | |
| Registered voters | 7,371,890 | 61.30 |
