馃嚫馃嚦SenegalWest Africa
Macky Sall's party rejects claims of massive mayoral support for Bassirou Diomaye Faye
via SeneNews1 min read
The Alliance for the Republic APR Elected Officials' Chamber has strongly rejected claims that 306 mayors have rallied to the Diomaye President coalition. APR officials dispute the figures, stating that no credible, exhaustive, or verifiable list has been published to support this alleged mobilization of local officials. They describe the data as "fanciful" and accuse those promoting the initiative of deliberately creating political confusion regarding the actual support from local authorities. The APR further alleges that several mayors attended a meeting presented as a simple institutional invitation, only to find themselves associated with a structured political support movement without their explicit consent. The party's officials denounce this as a strategy to "artificially create the illusion of a territorial majority" and influence the current political power balance. This statement comes amid a tense period, following the recent announcement of political structuring around the head of state and the reported presence of over a hundred mayors at a highly publicized meeting. The APR's Elected Officials' Chamber condemns what it calls the "instrumentalization of the presidential function for political ends" and urges the mayors involved to publicly clarify their positions.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by SeneNews.
A video widely shared on social media, attributing statements to former French international Zinedine Zidane, has sparked controversy online. The viral recording presents the former coach as commenting on the management of Senegal's national football team and technical choices made during the World Cup, specifically criticizing coach Pape Thiaw. The video claims Zidane stated, "For me, Senegal lost because of the coach's choices. How can you lead 2-0 and immediately remove the three midfielders who dominated the match? Pape Gueye, Iliman Ndiaye, and Habib Diarra gave balance to this team. These changes completely revived Belgium." He is also quoted saying, "Pape Thiaw does not have the level to coach this Senegal team." However, after verification, it has been confirmed that the video is manipulated content, a deepfake using artificial intelligence to imitate Zidane's image and voice. None of these statements were authentically made by him. The widely circulated video is out of context and manipulated. It is not a recent statement related to the World Cup or a match analysis, but an old excerpt from an institutional intervention where Zidane participated in an activity related to the United Nations Development Programme UNDP as a goodwill ambassador. The original video contains no comments about Senegal, a recent competition, or a national technical staff. The elements currently circulating on social media are an editorial montage that superimposed subtitles and audio narrati
Must ReadThe Diomaye Pr茅sident coalition in Saint-Louis has publicly affirmed its strong support for President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and his proposed referendum. During a general assembly, local officials not only reiterated their political alignment but also criticized Ousmane Sonko's constitutional revision initiatives, viewing them as potentially destabilizing to the current institutional balance. Ousmane Ndiaye, the Secretary General of the departmental coordination, highlighted the increasing public adherence in Saint-Louis to the President's policies, indicating a growing political base. The coalition aims to translate this momentum into electoral success in upcoming local elections, with the goal of winning all five communes and the departmental council. They view the referendum as crucial for consolidating the institutional framework and legitimizing national directions. Concurrently, the Saint-Louis coordination strongly criticized Ousmane Sonko's constitutional revision efforts, questioning their political legitimacy and accusing him of attempting to impose an institutional direction without national consensus. Ndiaye specifically referred to Sonko as a "fake President of the National Assembly," stating that his project "will not pass" and that it is unacceptable for "one million nine hundred thousand votes to decide the future of over nineteen million Senegalese," further accusing Sonko of seeking to "muzzle the President of the Republic within the parliament."
Following Senegal's elimination from the World Cup by Belgium, midfielder Pape Gueye announced a temporary withdrawal from the national team, citing frustration with the technical staff. His statement, "I will come back to tell you a few words about the elimination... but I announce today that as long as this technical staff is in place, I will take a break from the national team," has sparked debate. Sports journalist Mansour Loum clarified that Gueye's criticism is not aimed at head coach Pape Thiaw, but rather at an influential staff member believed to be dictating poor choices to the coach. Loum stated on Match 360, "Pape Gueye is indeed targeting someone, but it's not Pape Thiaw. He is criticizing a staff member whom he believes has too much influence over the coach, to the point of having dictated bad choices to him."