Senegal’s Faye appoints ally Ousmane Sonko as prime minister
Faye, 44, has never previously held elected office. He swept to a first-round victory on a promise of radical reform just 10 days after being released from prison.
Lena Sene, an economist based in Dakar, told Al Jazeera that Faye faces a “very difficult” challenge as president.
“You cannot change an entire administration in one day. He understands that he has to put systems in place in order to fight corruption. He is ready for that,” she said.
Sonko, 49, was at the centre of a two-year standoff with the state that triggered bouts of deadly unrest.
Popular among Senegal’s youth, he was disqualified from running in the March 24 presidential race due to a defamation conviction, and picked Faye as his replacement on the presidential ballot. He denied any wrongdoing.
Campaigning jointly under the slogan “Diomaye is Sonko,” Sonko urged supporters to vote for his top lieutenant, Faye, who ultimately won with more than 54 percent of the vote in the first round.
