President William Ruto congratulated Bassirou Diomaye Faye on being elected president of Senegal.
After being sworn in on Tuesday, the 44-year-old—who has never before held an elected position—became Senegal's fifth president following its separation from France in 1960 and the first to acknowledge being in a polygamous marriage publicly.
"Your visionary leadership is inspiring and sets an unmatched example for emerging leaders," said President Ruto.
President Ruto, in a show of solidarity and commitment to mutual prosperity, pledged his support to President Faye. He expressed his administration's intent to work closely with the new Senegalese leader, thereby strengthening the ties between Kenya and Senegal.
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Congratulations Bassirou Diomaye Faye on your decisive election victory. Your visionary leadership is inspiring and sets an unmatched example for emerging leaders. As you assume office today, we undertake to working with you to escalate Kenya-Senegal ties for our shared… pic.twitter.com/q9xXVIPVja
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) April 2, 2024
With a resounding 54.28 percent of the vote in the first round, Bassirou Diomaye Faye emerged as the clear winner of the Senegalese presidential election, as per the official provisional results announced on Wednesday.
With 35.79 percent of the vote, he finished far ahead of Amadou Ba, the former prime minister and candidate of the ruling coalition.
Faye was only released from prison ten days before the election, so her victory still needs to be confirmed by Senegal's highest constitutional body, which might take place in a few days.
Faye is expected to become Senegal's youngest president in history. He has stated that he wishes to "break" with the current political system.
