During a conference held at a major hotel in Dakar, President Faye unveiled his new political entity, “Kiiraay,” a Wolof word meaning “protection” or “shield.” Hundreds of his supporters, unable to fit inside the conference hall, gathered outside in the intense heat, displaying banners and wearing decorative scarves emblazoned with “Vive Diomaye.” In announcing the formation of this new party, whose slogan is “Republican Patriots,” President Faye emphasized its foundational principles: “the republic, ethics, transparency, fraternity, and work.” Among the crowd, Mamo Khady Sall, a 43-year-old who traveled from Yeumbeul, a Dakar suburb, with fifteen other women, praised Faye as a “man of peace,” expressing her strong disapproval of Ousmane Sonko, whose name she refused to utter.

Ousmane Sonko had previously garnered significant support among Senegalese youth through his pan-Africanist rhetoric, following a power struggle with former President Macky Sall, who governed from 2012 to 2024. Both Sonko and Faye had campaigned on a platform of change, promising economic transformation, social justice, and a robust fight against corruption. However, according to an economist and financial engineer from Dakar, Ibra Faye, “after these two years in power, we realize that the requested changes were not at all possible within the current framework” of the Pastef party.

“Majoritarian Party”

Addressing his supporters, President Faye declared, “Kiiraay is the majoritarian party in this country.” He highlighted the presence of numerous mayors, sector leaders, and civil society figures at the gathering. Several officials and activists from Pastef have recently announced their resignations, opting to join the presidential camp. The president’s communication team indicated that the new party plans to hold a congress following the country’s summer rainy season. Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s presidency is largely owed to Ousmane Sonko, his former mentor, who would likely have become head of state himself had he not been disqualified from the 2024 presidential election in this West African nation due to a defamation conviction.

Public Debt

The two leaders subsequently clashed over differing approaches to tackling Senegal’s substantial public debt and other critical political issues. On May 22, Bassirou Diomaye Faye removed Ousmane Sonko from his position as Prime Minister. Sonko’s allies swiftly appointed him president of the National Assembly, where he remains the undisputed leader of Pastef, which controls 130 of the 165 seats in Senegal’s unicameral parliament. In late June, the National Assembly passed a bill aimed at curtailing presidential powers, notably by prohibiting the head of state from leading a political party or coalition. Nevertheless, the Constitutional Council invalidated this measure less than two weeks later.