SENEGAL’S new President, Bassirou Faye, has appointed his mentor, Ousmane Sonko, as the country’s prime minister.
Faye’s announcement shortly after he was inaugurated on Tuesday, April 2, did not surprise many, who saw him as Sanko’s protégé.
Recall that both men were jailed ahead of the presidential election, a decision that was seen as politically motivated, but there were released less than two weeks before the poll.
Sonko, leader of the main opposition Patriots of Senegal (PASTEF), was barred from contesting the election by the country’s supreme court and quickly endorsed Faye as the presidential candidate.
Shortly after his appointment, Sonko said he would present Faye with a full list of proposed ministerial appointments for approval, saying: “There will be no question of leaving him (Faye) alone to assume this heavy responsibility.”
Faye, who has never held a political office before, has promised to reverse years of economic decline under his predecessor, Macky Sall, but the former tax collector’s political inexperience might be worsened by a perceived subservience to Sonko, who is a very experienced politician.
