Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye reached a pivotal milestone on Saturday, July 25, in Dakar, formally establishing KIIRAAY – Les Patriotes Républicains, his dedicated political vehicle. This declaration, made during a constituent general assembly held at a capital city hotel, signifies the head of state’s political emancipation from the African Party for Independence, Labor, Ethics and Fraternity (PASTEF), the organization that propelled him to power in March 2024. The newly formed party adopts the motto “La Patrie d’abord” (The Homeland First), immediately signaling a commitment to national sovereignty and robust institutional frameworks.
A definitive separation from Ousmane Sonko
The emergence of KIIRAAY unfolds amidst public disagreements between Bassirou Diomaye Faye and his former mentor Ousmane Sonko, who continues to lead PASTEF and serves as Prime Minister. Once viewed as complementary figures driving a shared wave of change, their paths have diverged significantly in recent months, culminating in this now-formalized organizational split. For the President, establishing his own partisan structure represents a move away from an increasingly uncomfortable political dependency, providing him with an apparatus aligned with his presidential directives.
The choice of name carries profound symbolism. In Wolof, the term kiiraay evokes the concept of protection, a stance that contrasts sharply with the often confrontational and oppositional posture long embodied by PASTEF. While the former party cultivated a rhetoric of sovereignty through rupture, the new formation aims to articulate patriotism, republican principles, and institutional stability. This semantic evolution reflects the head of state’s repositioning towards a more institutional center of gravity as he solidifies his exercise of power.
Embracing a patriotic and republican platform
KIIRAAY’s announced strategic direction emphasizes upholding national interests, strengthening republican institutions, and consolidating the rule of law. These priorities, articulated during the constituent assembly, outline a project less focused on protest and more oriented towards managing the machinery of the state. The designation “Les Patriotes Républicains” seeks to reconcile two key themes: an unwavering attachment to sovereignty, a hallmark of the Faye-Sonko camp since the 2022 legislative elections, and fidelity to republican norms, a pledge extended to administrative, economic, and diplomatic elites.
This strategic framing holds particular significance for Senegal’s international partners. Since assuming the presidency, Bassirou Diomaye Faye has consistently signaled openness to donors and investors, while simultaneously pursuing the renegotiation of certain strategic contracts in the hydrocarbon and mining sectors. The creation of a party explicitly centered on institutions aims to build confidence in the predictability of public action, especially as Dakar strives to maintain its access to financial markets and its relationship with the International Monetary Fund.
Reshaping Senegal’s political landscape
The arrival of KIIRAAY inherently reconfigures the existing power dynamics. PASTEF, now without presidential endorsement, retains a substantial grassroots base but loses the symbolic leverage of the presidential palace. Traditional opposition parties, ranging from the Senegalese Democratic Party to structures inherited from the Benno Bokk Yaakaar coalition, must recalibrate their strategies in the face of a presidential majority that now possesses its own partisan backbone. The question remains as to what proportion of the PASTEF apparatus, particularly among deputies elected in November 2024, will migrate to the new structure.
The political calendar further underscores the stakes. Upcoming local elections and the preparations for the 2029 presidential poll will serve as KIIRAAY’s initial real-world tests. The party must swiftly demonstrate its capacity to build a territorial network, articulate a distinct programmatic offering, and mobilize support beyond the militant core inherited from the 2024 campaign. Concretely, the struggle will also involve control over party resources, administrative connections, and regional economic networks.
For Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the political equation thus shifts from the realm of personal loyalty to the institutional construction of a presidential force. This development ushers in a new political phase for Senegal.
