President Faye unveiled his new political entity, named “Kiiraay,” which translates to “protection” or “shield” in the Wolof language, during a conference held at a prominent hotel in Dakar. Hundreds of his enthusiastic supporters, unable to fit inside the conference hall, gathered outside under the intense heat, displaying placards and wearing decorative scarves emblazoned with “Vive Diomaye.” In announcing the establishment of this new party, whose motto is “Republican Patriots,” President Faye emphasized its foundation on principles of “the republic, ethics, transparency, fraternity, and hard work.” Among the crowd, Mamo Khady Sall, a 43-year-old who traveled with 15 other women from Yeumbeul, a Dakar suburb, praised Faye as a “man of peace,” expressing her strong disapproval of Ousmane Sonko, whose name she refused to utter.

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 campaigned on a platform of profound change, advocating for economic transformation, social justice, and a robust fight against corruption. However, after “two years in power, it has become evident that the desired changes were not achievable within the current framework” of the Pastef party, according to Ibra Faye, an economist and financial engineer based in Dakar.

“Majoritarian Party”

“Kiiraay is the majority party in this country,” President Faye declared to his assembled supporters, highlighting 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 to align themselves with the presidential camp. According to the president’s communication team, the new party plans to hold its inaugural congress after the country’s summer rainy season. Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s ascent to the presidency is largely attributable to Ousmane Sonko, his former mentor, who would almost certainly 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 diverging views on how Senegal should address its substantial public debt and other critical political matters. On May 22, Bassirou Diomaye Faye relieved Ousmane Sonko of his duties as Prime Minister. Sonko’s allies swiftly appointed him president of the National Assembly, where he remains the undisputed leader of Pastef, which commands 130 of the 165 seats in Senegal’s unicameral parliament. In late June, the National Assembly passed legislation aimed at curtailing presidential powers, specifically seeking to prohibit the head of state from leading a political party or coalition. Nevertheless, the Constitutional Council invalidated this measure less than two weeks later.