Top Senegal opposition leader speaks out after prison release, vows to help win March 24 election

(16 Mar 2024) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ASSOCIATED PRESS Dakar – 15 March 2024 1.Wide of Ousmane Sonko, Senegalese opposition leader and head of PASTEF, and Bassirou Diomaye Faye, candidate in presidential election, on stage 2. Close of Faye 3. Close of Sonko 4. SOUNDBITE (French) Ousmane Sonko, Senegalese opposition leader and head of PASTEF: “In this situation, there are no winners or losers in this affair. We believe that we have followed our destiny, and we will continue to do so. It was said that we would go through these stages and we've come out of it no less grown up than before, so it's only destiny that we're following.” 5. Wide pan of audience applauding 6. SOUNDBITE (French) Ousmane Sonko, Senegalese opposition leader and head of PASTEF: “What has to be done will be done. The only victory will not be the one we win on 24 March, inshallah, it will be at the end of our first term in office, and we'll see what Senegalese people think of what we've done.” 7. Wide of news conference 8. SOUNDBITE (French) Bassirou Diomaye Faye, presidential candidate: “There can be no sovereignty of the kind we want when we demand or fight for a sovereign, just and prosperous Senegal in a progressive Africa if it does not have monetary sovereignty.” 9. Sonko talking with attendees 10. SOUNDBITE (French) Bassirou Diomaye Faye, presidential candidate: “The people who are shocked, there are two main candidates, and they must be shocked not because the proposal offends them in terms of scientifically and technicality, but because they want to reassure their masters.” 11. Various of Sonko-Faye supporters chanting and dancing in street ++NIGHT SHOTS++ STORYLINE: Top opposition leader Ousmane Sonko vowed Friday to help his team win Senegal's March 24 presidential election even though he is barred from the ballot, jumping into the campaign in his first public address since being freed from prison a day earlier. Ousmane Sonko’s release late Thursday after months behind bars triggered a mix of jubilation and political uncertainty on the streets of the capital, Dakar. Thousands took to the streets in celebration, reinvigorating enthusiasm for the election that will decide whether the West African country can remain a stable democracy in a region that has experienced a wave of coups and attempted coups. A charismatic former tax collector and mayor of the southern city of Ziguinchor, Sonko is seen as as the main challenger to President Macky Sall’s governing party. His key ally, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who was also freed from prison late Thursday, has been named the opposition’s presidential candidate. Their release follows Sall’s decree to exonerate political prisoners, including hundreds arrested in the violent protests last year. “What has to be done will be done. The only victory will not be the one we win on 24 March... it will be at the end of our first term in office, and we'll see what Senegalese people think of what we've done,” Sonko said at a news conference. In his brief message, Sonko restated some of the key tenets of his campaign: the need to fight corruption in the government and to protect Senegal's economy from the influence of foreign powers. The protests have once again rocked Senegal’s image as a pillar of stability in West Africa. Since gaining independence from France in 1960, it has held regular elections and never experienced a coup, unlike many other nations in the Sahel region. =========================================================== Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...