Senegal election results: Who is Diomaye Faye, tipped to be next president?

Faye, a former tax inspector, has pledged to weed out corruption, restore stability and prioritise economic sovereignty.

Early results from Sunday’s presidential elections in Senegal show opposition candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye is in the lead, prompting his supporters to celebrate on the streets of the capital Dakar amid hope the new administration will address persistent poverty and corruption.

The governing coalition’s candidate, former Prime Minister Amadou Ba, on Monday conceded defeat to Faye hours after saying he was ready for a run-off vote. A candidate requires more than 50 percent of votes to prevent a run-off.

The electoral body has yet to release details about the results as vote counting is under way. Official results are expected to be announced in the coming days.

Here is more about presidential candidate Faye and what the results may mean for the future of Senegal’s democracy.

Faye has been thrust into the centre of Senegalese politics more than a week after he was released from prison along with his firebrand mentor Ousmane Sonko, who was disqualified from standing in the election because of a defamation conviction.