Senegal’s newly elected president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, has announced Ousmane Sonko, a popular opposition figure and political ally, as prime minister shortly after his inauguration.
Sonko, 49, was put in prison alongside Faye a few months before the election, which many suspected was politically motivated.
The incendiary politician who was seen as the major opponent to the government of Macky Sall, the now-former president, was forbidden from standing for president after being charged with inciting an insurgency.
However, his supporters argue that the verdict was politically motivated.
After his ban, Sonko endorsed his trusted lieutenant, Faye, as the presidential candidate.
Before Sonko’s endorsement, Bassirou Diomaye Faye was not a well-known political figure in Senegal, but this changed dramatically when he won the election held last month.
Faye, a former tax inspector, defeated Amadou Ba, the candidate of outgoing President Macky Sall’s ruling coalition, by a landslide in the first round of voting.
Mr. Sonko has now been named the new prime minister of the country, and will be part of the new government of the West African State.
Bassirou Diomaye Faye was sworn in on Tuesday as Senegal’s fifth and youngest president ever, promising to restore stability and bring economic progress.
The former tax Inspector, aged 44, won decisively in the first round, beating Amadou Ba, the nominee from President Macky Sall’s incumbent coalition.
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