Kiraay, Pastef and the others: Boubacar Mohamed Racine Sy shares his analysis of the political realignment

The official launch of Kiraay, the new political party led by President Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, continues to spark debate and questions within the Senegalese political class. In an article, lawyer and writer Boubacar Mohamed Racine Sy offers an analysis of this new political development and its implications for Kiraay, the Pastef party, and the entire political landscape.

From the outset, the local elected official in the Patte d'Oie district believes that the creation of Kiraay "certainly marks a turning point in Senegalese political life." However, according to him, this creation does not constitute a sudden break, but rather "the culmination of an evolution that has been perceptible for several months."

According to him, the reorganizations within the state apparatus, the movements observed in the majority, and the numerous defections recorded in recent weeks already suggested the desire of the head of state to equip himself with his own political instrument.

“In any democracy, a president naturally aspires to rely on an organization capable of carrying out his agenda, defending his actions, and preparing for elections,” he writes. For him, “governing certainly requires solid institutions, but also a structured political force.”

However, Boubacar Mohamed Racine Sy urges caution against rewriting Senegal's recent political history. He points out that Bassirou Diomaye Faye is now President of the Republic because he enjoyed the trust of a majority of Senegalese, as well as a political momentum driven primarily by Ousmane Sonko.

"Prevented from running for the highest office, he put forward the candidacy of his fellow activist and mobilized his political apparatus to convince his militants to make this candidacy their own fight," he emphasizes.

For the author, the slogan "Diomaye mooy Sonko" reflected "an undeniable political reality." He believes that the 2024 victory is therefore "that of a man, certainly, but also of a party, an organization, and a collective commitment."

"Pastef is a veritable electoral machine."

It is precisely this reality which, according to him, explains the debates sparked by the birth of Kiraay. "In politics, there is a fundamental difference between exercising power and having a real electoral machine," he points out.

Boubacar Mohamed Racine Sy also points out that he drew attention to this issue as early as the legislative elections. He believes that by leaving Ousmane Sonko in charge of drawing up the lists, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye did not yet seem to grasp the need to establish his own political apparatus.

"The Pastef, the majority party and the real electoral machine of power, had a different president than the head of state himself," he writes, arguing that this institutional and partisan duality could, in the long run, create tensions.

The lawyer also believes that Pastef was not built in a few months. "This party was built over the years, in the radical opposition, through work to establish itself and maintain a presence on the ground. Such an organization cannot be improvised," he analyzes.

But he is also critical of the ruling party. "Pastef has lulled Senegalese people into a false sense of security," he says, believing that the party has "fueled the popular imagination with promises and stories divorced from facts."

Kiraay's challenge: to become a sustainable party

Returning to the new political formation, Boubacar Mohamed Racine Sy believes that Kiraay will have to meet a major challenge: "transforming a presidential party into a sustainable party".

He specifically calls for a controlled political opening. "No party can claim to govern sustainably by remaining closed off from the outside world," he reminds us. However, he urges Kiraay's leaders to exercise discernment in choosing which parties to join.

"Not all defections stem from the same convictions. Some reflect a sincere commitment to a project. Others may be inspired by circumstances or by proximity to power," he analyzes.

According to him, Senegalese political history teaches that "adding up political leaders does not mean adding up voters".

“A mayor can change parties without his electorate following him. An official can join a new party without taking popular trust with him,” he points out.

For the author, Kiraay's real challenge will therefore be its establishment across the entire national territory, the training of cadres, the organization of a genuine activist life and the construction of its own political identity.

"A party is not measured solely by the quality of its leaders. It is measured above all by the depth of its roots," he asserts.

"Conquering power is one thing. Exercising it is another."

In his contribution, Boubacar Mohamed Racine Sy also refers to a statement by the President of the Republic: "I understood that when you are in opposition, you are not responsible for anything in any way. I also understood that when you exercise power, you are responsible for everything and in every way."

A statement which, according to him, sums up "one of the greatest truths of public life".

"The opposition and the government operate according to different logics. When governing, budgetary, diplomatic, social and institutional constraints impose trade-offs that the opposition does not always perceive," he analyzes.

For the legal expert, this reflection goes beyond the single case of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and should serve as a lesson to all those who aspire to assume responsibilities.

"Conquering power is one thing. Exercising it is another," he wrote, in an invitation also addressed to opponents to moderate their remarks.

"Popular trust can never be decreed."

In conclusion, Boubacar Mohamed Racine Sy believes that the birth of Kiraay should open up a broader reflection on the future of Senegalese democracy.

"For a decade, the Senegalese political debate seems to be organized around the same actors, the same confrontations and, sometimes, the same methods," he observes.

For him, despite the reshuffling, alliances and changes of camp, the concerns of citizens remain the same: "employment, school, health, justice, purchasing power and the quality of governance".

He believes that Senegal therefore needs not only new parties, but "a permanent renewal of ideas, practices and political culture".

"Citizens expect less a change of labels than a tangible improvement in their living conditions," he argues.

Ultimately, concludes Boubacar Mohamed Racine Sy, “parties are created, alliances are formed and dissolved, and the balance of power shifts.” But one reality remains, according to him: “Popular trust is never decreed. It is earned, deserved, and preserved.”

It is this trust, he concludes, that will determine the future of Kiraay, Pastef and all Senegalese political parties.