PARIS, France: French President Emmanuel Macron Friday told Senegal’s anti-establishment president-elect Bassirou Diomaye Faye that his country wanted to “continue and intensify the partnership” with its former West African colony.
According to Macron’s office, he offered Faye, 44, “warm congratulations” for his victory in the weekend presidential vote and what he called the sovereign choice of the Senegalese people.
The Elysee Palace further said that in their first telephone call since the Sunday vote, Macron and Faye discussed the regional situation and main areas of bilateral cooperation.
Faye was released from jail just 10 days before the March 24 election and rose to victory in the first round against establishment-backed candidate Amadou Ba.
Ousmane Sonko, the Faye’s firebrand political mentor, has regularly criticized former colonial power France, but the latter said after his victory in the election that the country would remain a trustworthy ally of foreign partners.
France welcomed the reassurance which is Senegal’s main political and economic partner. The former colonial power has seen its influence wane in its former West African colonies in recent years.
