Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye officially launched his new political party, “Kiiraay, the Republican Patriots,” in Dakar on Saturday, against the backdrop of a reshaping political landscape in Senegal.
Speaking at the launch ceremony, the head of state said the new party is intended to serve as a broad political platform built on the values of patriotism, grassroots engagement and commitment to Senegal’s development.
The launch comes after Faye stepped down as leader of the African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity (Pastef), the ruling party that holds a majority in the National Assembly, shortly after his election as president, in keeping with his pledge to separate the presidency from the leadership of a political party.
According to local media, the creation of Kiiraay marks the culmination of a restructuring process launched in November 2025 to establish a new political party open to the various components of the presidential majority.
At the founding assembly, Aminata Touré, general coordinator of the Diomaye Président coalition, said that 437 political parties and movements had agreed to merge into the new political formation.
The creation of the party comes amid a political split between President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and his former prime minister, Ousmane Sonko, who now serves as president of the National Assembly and with whom Faye had long been politically associated within Pastef.
The initiative also follows a Constitutional Council ruling issued earlier this month declaring unconstitutional the procedure that led to the National Assembly’s adoption of a constitutional amendment, after the president referred the matter to the court.
