Senegal: All you need to know about the Apr 2nd presidential inauguration

Bassirou Diomaye Faye will take up the baton from Macky Sall on Tuesday (Apr. 2). Senegal’s 5th president will be sworn in Diamniadio. The ceremony will be attended by foreign heads of states and governments.

Senegal’s opposition figure who won over 54% of the votes in the March 24 presidential election will officially be sworn in on Tuesday (Apr. 2).

The Abdou Diouf International conference centre (CICAD) of Diamniadio [Editor’s Note: some 30 km from Dakar] will host the event kicking off at 11 AM (UTC).

Several key steps take place during the swearing in ceremony which is in fact a public hearing of the Constitutional Council.

The 7 judges sitting at the council will oversee the proclamation of the presidential election’s results.

The president of the council will then deliver a speech which will be followed by the swearing in.

In accordance with Article 37 of the Constitution, Diomaye Faye will be in charge as soon as he swears the oath of office which reads as follow:

“I swear, before God and the people of Senegal, to faithfully execute the office of president of the republic of Senegal, to keep the provisions of the Constitution and laws and to ensure their observance, to devote all my strength to defending constitutional institutions, to defend Senegal’s territorial integrity and its independence, and [I swear] to spare no effort to realize the African unity”.

After the closing of the ceremony, Senegal’s youngest president will be awarded with the order of Grand-Croix de l’Ordre national du Lion as well as the Collier du Grand-Maître de l’Ordre national du Lion.

The 44-year-old president will then leave the CICAD, headed for the presidency in Dakar.

Dignitaries in attendance include the president of neighbouring The Gambia Adama Barrow, the president of Nigeria Bola Ahmed Tinubu who also serves as chairman of regional bloc ECOWAS, the president of Guinea-Bissau Umaro Sissoko Emballo, the chairperson of the African Union Moussa Faki Mahamat and the Foreign minister of Mali Abdoulaye Diop.

This is Senegal’s fourth democratic transfer of power since gaining independence more than six decades ago.

In his first speech as president-elect, Faye promised to fight corruption and reform the economy.

“I pledge to govern with humility and transparency, and to fight corruption at all levels. I pledge to devote myself fully to rebuilding our institutions,” he said during his March 25 speech, restating promises made during his campaign.