Bassirou Diomaye Faye: Former Senegalese tax inspector winning elections held 10 days after his prison release

Signals from Senegal's presidential election held on Sunday, March 24, indicate opposition candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye has secured victory, according to provisional results.

Faye contested the elections as an independent candidate endorsed by his former party, the Patriot's of Senegal (PASTEF).

The party was dissolved in July last year over charges of causing unrest led by its founder, firebrand opposition leader Ousmane Sonko.

Faye and Sonko had both been imprisoned last year on numerous charges including spreading false information and defamation.

They were released on March 14—10 days before the election, under an amnesty law.

On Monday, local media is said to have begun collating preliminary results which showed Faye leading and crossing the crucial 50% threshold needed to avoid a run-off vote which Amadou Ba, the ruling party’s candidate was expecting.

In response, Mr. Ba, who is a former Prime Minister has conceded defeat and acknowledged Faye's yet-to-confirmed victory based on the early figures.

Ba's concession suggests the electoral body's full results in the coming days will likely confirm Faye as Senegal's new president, marking an opposition victory in this key West African nation.

The election was seen as a test of Senegal's democratic credentials after recent political violence.

Faye campaigned on promises of tackling issues of unemployment, corruption and high living costs.

His apparent win poses the challenge of fulfilling his reform agenda and easing social tensions in a country that has traditionally seen peaceful transfers of power, but faced unrest this year after outgoing Macky Sall postponed the election from February 25, to December 15.

The move saw many protesting and accusing President Sall of undemocratically trying to clinch power.

However, the widely challenged move was later turned down by the country’s constitutional court.