Bassirou Diomaye Faye became Senegal’s fifth president on Tuesday after a meteoric political rise, promising “systemic change”, sovereignty and peace in the country after years of upheaval. However, his mandate also begins with an unprecedented situation in the presidential palace: there will be two first ladies, as the new president, who is 44 years old, is polygamous and has two wives, News.ro reported with reference to AFP.

The new president decided to openly demonstrate his polygamy, a traditional and religious practice that is firmly rooted in Senegalese culture, even during the election campaign, before his triumphant election, already in the first round of voting, gaining 54.28% of the vote.

Marie Hone, the first woman he married 15 years ago and with whom he has 4 children, is from the same village as him. He married his second wife, Absa, just over a year ago.

According to the sociologist Jibi Diahate, “it is about sanctifying the tradition of polygamy at the top of the state with a situation that will reflect the Senegalese reality.” The sociologist says the practice is “approved” by many men, but many women remain “suspicious” of the principles behind it.

Polygamy has long been a controversial topic in this country, as the Muslim population is over 90%. But the public appearance of the “BDF”, as the new president is called, surrounded by his two wives, brought this topic back to the center of discussion, in the press, social networks, as well as in ordinary families, causing mixed reactions.

The famous sociologist Fatou Sou Sarr wrote on X that “polygamy, monogamy and polyandry are marriage patterns determined by the history of each people. The West has no legitimacy to judge our cultures,” said the sociologist.

However, many Senegalese women are against this practice, which they consider hypocritical and unfair to them. And the UN Commission on Human Rights decided in a report published in 2022 that polygamy is discrimination against women and should be eradicated.

“Married Man’s Mistress”

Mariama Ba, one of Senegal’s most important literary figures, had already sharply criticized polygamy in her famous novel “Une si longue lettre” (“Such a long letter”), published in 1979. In it, she describes the pain and loneliness of a woman. married after her husband’s second marriage to a very young woman, was forced to accept this union, a difficult situation experienced by many Senegalese women.

Several successful Senegalese series on the subject in recent years, such as Maîtresse d’un homme marié (Mistress of a Married Man) and Polygamy, highlight the turmoil and tension in families dealing with polygamy.

For the former minister of culture, professor of history Penda Mbow, the new situation in the presidential palace is “absolutely new. Until now, there was only one first lady. This means that the entire protocol must be revised,” he points out.

A very common religious and traditional practice in Senegal, especially in rural areas, polygamy is accepted by many Senegalese, who tend to see it as a way to increase their family size. The Muslim religion also allows a man to marry four wives if he can afford it. In such cases, Islam prescribes equal days of rotation between different co-wives, which can vary from two to three days.

Although it is difficult to calculate because many marriages are not registered, 32.5% of married Senegalese live in polygamous unions, according to a 2013 report by the National Agency for Statistics and Demography. The average age of polygamy is 43.9, with women (40.4) entering polygamy earlier than men (52.9), the report added.

For sociologist Jibi Diahate, President Fay is sending “a strong signal that other men should also accept their polygamy and that they should be as transparent as he is,” no doubt with a desire to end the practice of covert polygamy known as Taku. Suf” (in the Wolof language), which, in his opinion, “will be good for the country’s economy and for the family situation.”

The new president of Senegal has fully accepted his polygamy and responded to his critics: “I have beautiful children because I have wonderful wives. They are very beautiful. And I thank Allah that they are always there to support me,” he said during the presidential campaign.

The two women he is married to attended his investiture on Tuesday.

Who is the new president of Senegal and what policies does he propose?

Confident in a dark blue suit and matching tie, Fay was sworn in on Tuesday in front of hundreds of Senegalese officials and several African heads of state and leaders at an exhibition center in the new city of Diamniadio, near Dakar.

He then returned to the capital, a mounted guard walking ahead of his motorcade to be greeted by hundreds of Dakar residents lining the road leading to the gates of the presidential palace. There, his predecessor Macky Sall, after a brief and heartfelt greeting, symbolically handed him the key to the presidential office before exiting the gate.

Fay, who has never before been elected, becomes the West African country’s youngest president since independence in 1960, less than three weeks after his release from prison.

Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the new president of Senegal (Photo: AA/ABACA / Abaca Press / Profimedia)

On April 14, 2023, Fay was arrested as he was leaving his office on charges of “spreading false news, contempt of court and defamation of an official body”, following a post he made on social media. In this publication, he denounced perceived injustices in the judicial system. Despite the fact that he was detained, he was not convicted and therefore could run for the post of president.

After three years of tension and the latest 2024 election crisis, his inauguration, widely acclaimed after a stormy campaign, “is almost miraculous,” Constitutional Council President Mamadou Badio Camara said before Fay took office. oath of office

In his inaugural address, Fay said he was “aware” of the fact that his landslide victory in the first round of the March 24 presidential election represented a “deep desire for systemic change.”

“Under my leadership, Senegal will become a country of hope, a country of peace, with an independent judiciary and a consolidated democracy,” he promised. The new president cited the years of unrest that preceded his election and led to dozens of deaths and hundreds of arrests.

Fay replaces 62-year-old Meki Sall, who led the country of 18 million for 12 years and maintained strong relations with the West and France while diversifying partnerships, for a five-year term.

The promise of a break with the past and the obvious modesty of this individual from a humble and educated background led him to a resounding victory with 54.28% of the vote.

Fay, who was previously a senior civil servant in the tax administration, has made lowering the cost of living, fighting corruption and national reconciliation his priorities. His program also emphasizes the need for sovereignty. “We have clearly heard the voice of the unleashed elites who are voicing loud and clear our desire for greater sovereignty, development and prosperity” in Africa, Fay said. He assured foreign partners of “opening Senegal to trade that respects the sovereignty” of the country in a “mutually beneficial” partnership. His program indicates an intention to review or review contracts with foreign companies for the development of oil and gas, as well as mining and fishing agreements.

An admirer of former US President Barack Obama and South African anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela, Fay calls himself a “left-wing” pan-Africanist. He wants to work for the return of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger to the Community of West African States (ECOWAS). These states are headed by juntas that broke off relations with France and returned to Russia. The coup regimes in Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea sent their representatives to Diamniadio, including the President of Guinea, General Mamadi Doumboui.

Fay highlighted the scale of the security challenges facing many African countries. “It forces us to show more solidarity,” he pleaded.

Nicknamed “Diomai” (“honorable”), Fay embodies a new generation of young politicians. Driven by the desire for change, Faye faces great difficulties. His specific plans remain unclear, as does the seat reserved for his mentor Usman Sonko.

First they have to appoint a government. He is eagerly expected to make decisions, especially on employment, in a country where 75% of the population is under the age of 35 and where the official unemployment rate is 20%, forcing more and more young people to escape poverty and embark on a dangerous path. a trip to Europe.