Bassirou Diomaye Faye was a friend and ally of Ousmane Sonko, whom he met when they were both tax inspectors. Faye joined Sonko’s Autonomous Union of Tax and Domain Agents, and, later, Sonko’s political party, African Patriots of Senegal for Labor, Ethics and Fraternity (PASTEF), rising to executive leadership in the party. Sonko had wide appeal and drew considerable support for his party.
When PASTEF leaders feared Sonko would be disqualified from running for president of Senegal in 2024, they chose Faye as their alternative candidate. Sonko’s candidacy was in fact barred, so he campaigned alongside Faye ahead of the election with the slogan “Diomaye mooy Sonko” (Wolof: “Diomaye is Sonko”) to demonstrate that Faye had his full support. They campaigned on promises to tackle corruption, seek monetary reforms, and renegotiate contracts for Senegal’s natural resources. Faye won the March 24 election and was sworn in on April 2, 2024, the youngest president in Senegal’s history.