 When Senegalese President Mackie Saul canceled the planned election that was supposed to occur in February 2024, everybody thought that the country which has been hailed as the most stable democracy in Africa was about to lose that title. However, the pressure from the country and the international community eventually led the president to reverse his decision. And on March 24, 2024, the Senegalese presidential election was held with 19 candidates contesting for that position. And, based on a general amnesty law passed shortly before the vote to ease political tensions, election result. The next president of Senegal is none other than 44-year-old opposition leader Basiro Dio Maiafe, a man who was in jail two weeks before the election and who nobody knew about two years ago. So who is Dio Maiafe? What is his plan for the people of Senegal and can he be compared to Africa's youngest president, Captain Ibrahim Trawari? Let's find out in this video. Born in 1980, Dio Maiafe never dreamed that he would one day become the president of Senegal. After graduating from the university in 2000, he bagged a master's degree in law and started a career as a tax inspector in the tax and estates department. It was during this period that he met and forged a friendship with the leader of Senegalese main opposition party, Ausmane Sonko, who was also a tax inspector at the time. Together they were instrumental in forming the Taxes and Estates Union, where Faye advocated for facilitating home ownership for tax and property agents. In 2014, Ausmane Sonko founded a new political party known as the Patriots of Senegal Pastive, where Faye was initially a guest. However, he swiftly rose to prominence within the party and played an important role as one of the ideologues and architects of Sonko's presidential program in 2019, where Sonko unfortunately finished third. Then came 2021 when Faye had to assume the role of General Secretary of the Pastive after Sonko was arrested for allegedly raping a minor. As the General Secretary, Faye attempted to unite the opposition for the 2022 elections, resulting in winning 56 seats under the Liberate the People's Alliance. While Sonko was still battling a slew of court cases, which he said were politically motivated to stop him from running in the 2024 elections, Faye was arrested and imprisoned in April 2023 for spreading false news, insulting a magistrate, and defaming a constituted body after making comments on social media. And there Faye remained until everything changed when Ausmane Sonko was also detained and barred from running in the upcoming elections due to a defamation conviction. Before this time, his political party Pastiaf had been disbanded by the Supreme Court in July 2023. Party members from the disbanded Pastiaf, including Faye, were convinced that Sonko's detention and the banning of the political party were all part of the ploy by the current administration to eliminate strong rivals from the election, and so they decided to put their names forward. However, only Faye made the cut even though he was still in prison, and a coalition of more than 100 parties, including political heavyweights such as former Prime Minister Aminata Ture joined Faye's campaign under the banner, Diomaya is Sonko. And thanks to a general amnesty law passed shortly before the vote to ease political tensions, Faye, who had been in prison for 11 months, was released together with Sonko in early March to prepare for the elections. Faye and Sonko hit the campaign trail crisscrossing the country and drawing thousands to their rallies and caravans. Though the campaign period was short, about 7 million Senegalese came out to vote during the election. Ahead of Sunday's election, Faye published a declaration of his assets and called on other candidates to do the same. It lists a home in Dakar and land outside the capital and in his hometown plus bank accounts, which hold roughly $6,600. On the 26th of March 2024, Basiru Diomaya Faye was officially declared the winner of the 2024 Senegalese presidential election. Speaking at his first public appearance after the election, Faye told the journalist present that, In electing me, the Senegalese people have decided on a break with the past, and I promise to govern with humility and transparency. As news spread of Faye's win, Senegalese most especially the youths who have suffered under the corrupt regime of the current administration came out en masse to celebrate the good news. The international community also congratulated the country on what they call a win for democracy, but questions were also raised about the foreign policy of the new government at a time when the coastal nation is becoming an oil and gas producer. In simple terms, the West has begun to worry about what the new government of Diomaya Faye has in stock for them. This brings us to the question, what exactly are Faye's policies for the people of Senegal and the international community? First, according to Faye, the foundation of his political project is to rehabilitate the institutions of the Republic and restore the state based on the rule of law, something he says was flouted by Mackie Saul. Speaking further, Faye stated that he intends to fight against what he calls hyper-presidentialism, which he says has led to the executive arm of government having excessive control over the legislative and judicial branches, resulting in manipulating justice to target and imprison political opponents. To this end, Faye promises to limit the powers of the president, introduce impeachment, prohibit the accumulation of political mandates, fight corruption, and introduce alternatives to imprisonment. Secondly, Faye promises to reclaim the sovereignty of Senegal, a word he used no fewer than 18 times in his manifesto. During Faye's final rally, Sonko declared that from now on, Senegal would be an independent nation that will collaborate with the world based on a win-win partnership. And according to Faye, reclaiming the sovereignty of Senegal means renegotiating mining and hydrocarbon contracts that are set to take effect this year. He also plans to reassess fishing agreements with foreign countries because the fish resources that have been supporting over 600,000 Senegalese have been dwindling as a result of plundering from European and Asian trawlers. In addition to these, Faye plans to develop the primary sector to ensure food security and move towards self-sufficiency, notably the staple of rice. Thirdly, Faye intends to introduce a new currency called the Senegal to replace the CFA franc, which has been used by the country for more than 65 years. In an interview with French Daily Le Monde, Faye stated that in order to leave the CFA franc, it would ideally be done within the framework of the economic community of West African states, ICO-WAS, with the ICO, the West African single currency project that has yet to come to materialize. However, he added that if that doesn't work, Senegal will have to create their own currency. Finally, aside from shifting away from the CFA franc, Faye intends to also reset the relationship with France, Senegal's main trading partner. The relationship would no longer be as it used to be, but based on a win-win partnership. This means that France is not ready for that change, then Senegal would have no choice but to seek alternative partners. Now, as you can see, Faye's policies are brilliant, and speak of the kind of leader the people of Senegal should expect. But here comes the million-dollar question, can D.O. My Faye be compared to Ibrahim Traore, Africa's youngest president? Well, if you take a look at Faye's policies, you will observe that they align with those of Ibrahim Traore. As everybody knows, the sovereignty of a country is something that Captain Traore values so much, and from the time he came into power, he has taken several actions that prove that he truly values the sovereignty of Burkina Faso. These actions include taking charge of Burkina Faso's mining industry, which had formerly been left to the plundering of Western companies, renegotiating mining contracts with foreign companies, and refusing to allow Western countries to dictate how things are done in Burkina Faso. And just like Traore has done, D.O. My Faye intends to protect the sovereignty of Senegal by renegotiating resource agreements with foreign countries which have not benefited the country. Captain Traore has also distanced Burkina Faso from its former colonial master, the French, by kicking out French forces, ending the defense agreements, and planning to create a new currency. Although Faye hasn't said anything about kicking out French forces or ending the agreement with France, his idea of replacing the CFA Franc with a new currency and declaring that partnership with France will now be based on a win-win agreement certainly suggests that he intends to distance the country from France. Now, while there is a great similarity between Faye and Captain Traore in terms of policies, the big difference is Captain Traore is already in power and has already implemented these policies. The whole world, including the West, knows where he stands. D.O. My Faye, on the other hand, has not started ruling and his policies are still promises. The question now is whether he will do as he has promised or act like his predecessors who are known for breaking their promises. Only time will tell.