Senegal president names opposition figurehead Sonko as PM
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00:00 Even though he was silent, former opposition leader Ousmane Sanko was the center of attention
00:06 at the swearing-in ceremony for Senegal's new president, Basirou Dioumae Fay.
00:12 As Sanko had been barred from running for office in last month's elections, his close
00:17 ally Fay was largely seen as his proxy.
00:21 Indeed, just hours after Fay assumed office, he appointed Sanko to be his prime minister.
00:27 "At the meeting that closed our election campaign, I said we were all working to get
00:35 President Basirou Dioumae Fay elected.
00:39 There will be no question of leaving him to shoulder this responsibility alone."
00:49 Sanko finished third in the 2019 presidential election, and is popular among young people.
00:55 He spent much of the last year in prison before being freed last month.
01:01 Sanko became a key figure in his second-in-command's fiery campaign to tackle corruption in a
01:06 country with severe economic hardship.
01:09 "I bring to you my little brother, my friend, who is the candidate for us all, Basirou Dioumae
01:16 Fay."
01:19 Now in power, the two men will have to meet the immense expectations of the Senegalese
01:23 people.
01:25 Fay has pledged to restore national sovereignty by renegotiating international contracts for
01:30 fossil fuel extraction.
01:33 He has also vowed to create jobs, as 20 percent of the population is unemployed.