Gambiaj.com has exclusive updated information on the protocol for installing the new Senegalese Head of State. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye will take his oath of office on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, at 11 a.m. at the Abdou Diouf International Conference Center in Diamniadio.
Following the oath-taking ceremony, the new president will be inaugurated in an official power transfer ceremony with outgoing President Macky Sall in the afternoon of the same day. Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s presidential term will begin with the transition of power, as he was just elected with 54.28% of the vote, according to official preliminary results revealed on Wednesday.
As Senegalese people eagerly await the announcement of Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s next cabinet. It is projected to be downsized, compared to the current one, and to have more technocrats than well-known political personalities. ‘Neutral’ figures, without political commitment, and persons from the diaspora could have their place.
“The key is to quickly get to work on the priorities of the new president,” which include the economy, the cost of living, and food sovereignty, according to sources within his party, the Pastef. The government is anticipated to consist primarily of technocrats and less prominent politicians in order to accomplish this. People from the diaspora and “neutral” persons with no political affiliations could also be added.
Bassirou Diomaye Faye is also anticipated to rely on members of the “Diomaye president” coalition, which comprises approximately a hundred small parties and movements, including that of former union leader Dame Mbodj and former Prime Minister Aminata Touré. “The key is the break with the past and the project carried out by the new president,” said a Pastef insider.
Ousmane Sonko, a prominent member of the party and an early backer of Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s candidacy, told Le Monde that “no position has been promised to him.” “All options are open, whether it’s a ministerial role, a close advisor, or the president of the National Assembly,” he went on to say.
Karim Wade’s PDS, which pledged its support just days before the election, says it is open to conversations. According to its spokesperson, Maguette Sy, “We are not closing any doors, but if there are discussions, they will be with the party’s leaders,” Abdoulaye Wade and Karim Wade.
It is anticipated that his first administration will take office right after the April 5 national holiday.
