Senegal Elections: Has France Finally Learned Its Lesson In Françafrique?

-Analysis-

PARIS — Even before the official results were announced, French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday extended his congratulations to Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the just elected incoming president of Senegal, adding that he is “looking forward to working with him.”

Macron’s message is highly political and goes beyond the ritual congratulations to a foreign president. There is a double meaning: On one hand, he praises the democratic feat that Senegal has just achieved after several weeks of political chaos that had led to fears of serious violence. On the other hand, it shows that France has begun to learn the lessons of its repeated failures in Françafrique, French-speaking Africa.

The truth is, Faye’s victory caught France off guard. The winner of the first round, with 57% of the vote, claims to be the candidate of the “rupture.” A break with the political elite that has dominated Senegal since its independence in 1960; but also, and this goes hand in hand with it, a break with the French influence that has shaped post-colonial Senegal.

Discreet warning

In his first statement to the press, the president-elect made a point of assuring that his country would remain a “reliable ally” of its partners, and he wants to be “respectful” — the word is important, and sounds like a discreet warning.

If Faye is cautious, his electoral base is less so, and is pushing for radical changes. Pastef, the party from which he hails, led by Ousmane Sonko, who was unable to run for the presidency, is a pan-Africanist with a nationalistic streak.

A redefinition of the relationship between Senegal and France is inevitable. This is no small matter in a country that has been one of the showcases of French influence in Africa, from Léopold Sedar Senghor, its first French-educated president, and poet, to Macky Sall, the outgoing president, who is close to Macron.

An ideal scapegoat?

Paris would certainly have preferred a president of continuity. It was therefore important not to let France’s attitude waver, or give the impression that it would not appreciate the verdict of the ballot box.

France has every interest in seeking dialogue with the new team.

For this reason, Macron reached out the way he did to the new president, which is a good thing. In recent years, France has been forced to leave Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger following political changes in these western African countries. Paris had failed to understand in time the rise in anti-French sentiment.

With Senegal, whose political transition respects all democratic rules, France has every interest in seeking dialogue with the new team. It could even become a laboratory for new relations, if its leaders are willing. This could go as far as calling into question the presence of a French military base in Dakar, which no longer makes much sense, or even the CFA Franc, the common currency of French-speaking Africa, which Pastef supporters strongly oppose.

The worst-case scenario would be for this unprecedented political experiment in Senegal to run into economic and social problems, and for France to become the ideal scapegoat. Paris therefore has a major interest in the success of this new team: it may seem paradoxical given recent history, yet France must learn once and for all that Senegal and its neighbors must pick their own leaders.