DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegal named Basilou Diomaye Faye as its new president on Tuesday, completing the previously little-known opposition figure’s dramatic promotion from prison to palace in recent weeks. .

Less than two weeks before the March 24 general election, Faye joined popular opposition figure and mentor Ousmane Sonko after outgoing President Macky Sall announced a political amnesty. Get out of jail together. This is the first time the former tax inspector has been elected.

“This is the culmination of a long struggle for democracy and the rule of law,” said Aissata Sagna, a 39-year-old factory worker who worked on Faye’s campaign. “This is a day of celebration for us, even though we have lost young people who lost their lives during the demonstrations.”

The election tests Senegal’s reputation as a stable democracy in West Africa, which has experienced coups and coup attempts. The arrests of Sonko and Faye last year sparked months of unrest amid fears the president would seek a third term in office despite constitutional term limits. Human rights groups say dozens of people have been killed during the protests and about 1,000 people have been imprisoned.

Faye, 44, campaigned on a promise to stamp out corruption and better manage the country’s natural resources. His victory was seen as a reflection of youth frustration with widespread unemployment and former colonial ruler France, which critics say exploits its ties with Senegal to enrich itself.

This frustration is common in many countries in Africa, which has the world’s youngest populations and where many leaders have clung to power for decades.

Faye pledged to fight corruption and reform the economy in his first speech as president-elect.

Faye, a devout Muslim from a small town, has two wives, both of whom were present Tuesday. Before the election, he released an asset declaration in a show of transparency and called on other candidates to do the same. It lists a home in Dakar as well as land outside the capital and in his hometown. His bank account totaled approximately $6,600.

“I think the first challenge is to form his (Faye’s) government,” said Alioune Tine, founder of the Senegalese think tank Afrikajom Centre. “This will be his first concrete message to the Senegalese people. Senegal’s size, diversity and profile will be carefully analyzed to see if they meet the demands of a break with the past.”

Little was known about the new president until Sonko, a popular opposition figure who finished third in the last election in 2019, appointed him to succeed him after being barred from running in elections due to previous convictions. While Sonko’s future role in the new government is unclear, he is expected to play an important role.

Faye was arrested last year on suspicion of defamation, while Sonko faces multiple charges, including a protracted legal battle in 2021 when he was accused of rape. He was acquitted of rape but found guilty of corrupting a juvenile and sentenced to two jail terms. He was jailed for several years last summer. Sonko’s supporters say his legal troubles are part of the government’s effort to undermine his candidacy.

While Sall eventually ruled out running for a third term, he then abruptly postponed February elections just weeks away, triggering another wave of protests. The move was blocked by the country’s Constitutional Court, and elections were eventually held weeks later in March.