French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated Bassirou Diomaye Faye on Monday evening, March 25, anti-system candidate and winner of the presidential election in Senegal, and looked forward to “working with him,” in a message on the social network . “Congratulations to Bassirou Diomaye Faye on his election as President of the Republic of Senegal. I wish him all my best wishes and look forward to working with him,” wrote Emmanuel Macron.
The clear winner of the vote held on Sunday, Bassirou Diomaye Faye assured Monday that his country would remain the “safe and reliable ally” of all “respectful” foreign partners, during his first public appearance since the announcement of his historic election.
Mr. Faye, who turned 44 on Monday, released from prison only ten days ago, billed himself as the “breakup pick.” He will become the fifth and youngest president of this West African country of 18 million inhabitants after the recognition on Monday by his main opponent of his success in the first round of the presidential election, which amounts to a political earthquake.
France, Senegal’s former colonial power and its first political and economic partner, hopes to maintain solid relations with it, even though it has just suffered several setbacks in the region. In particular, it had to break off all military cooperation with Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.