Who is Ousmane Chimère Diouf's successor? L'Observateur attempted to answer. Excerpts.

1. Plebiscite

Cheikh Bâ was elected president of the Senegalese Magistrates' Union (UMS) last Saturday. The presiding judge at the Dakar Court of Appeal received 146 of the 273 votes cast. His rivals, Abdoul Khadir Khaoussou Diop and Mouhamadou Ndiaye Sarr, received 76 and 58 votes, respectively. A resounding victory for Ousmane Chimère Diouf's successor. While he "welcomes" it, he sees this victory, "with an overwhelming majority," as "a challenge." "Such confidence must be earned," he proclaimed after his election.

2. Oath

The new UMS president recalled that he was elected on the basis of a program that promises to "strengthen the unity, solidarity, and independence of the profession." "A judiciary that stands tall, united, and shows solidarity, and takes responsibility for the Senegalese people, for the well-being of its members, and in compliance with the Constitution," he emphasized.

3. In the name of the father

To become a magistrate, Cheikh Bâ had to change his career path twice. At his father's behest. While he saw himself leading his flock, his father decided he would wear out his trousers on the benches of the Gunguinéo primary school where he was born. The president of the UMS defines himself as a "shepherd whose hand was forced to go to school." Years later, with his baccalaureate in his pocket, he joined the UCAD (University of Cadets). His father intervened again in the choice of the branch: law. Cheikh Bâ acquiesced, with the hope of becoming a diplomat. He joined the Diplomacy section of the National School of Administration before changing course, towards the judiciary. A judge had just been born. First assignment: the departmental court of Tivaouane.

4. International law, human rights

The new UMS president is a specialist in international law and a human rights activist. His career has spanned jurisdictions, ministerial offices (Armed Forces, Justice, etc.), and several international organizations (Friedrich Naumann Foundation, European Union, UNODC, etc.).

5. Monogamous “by conviction”

This is how he describes himself when discussing his marital status. "He says he was affected by the instability observed in polygamous families during his years at the departmental court," reports L'Observateur. It reveals that Cheikh Bâ is fond of fish and rice and passionate about football—he was captain of the magistrates' football team.