Ouestafnews – The day after the legislative elections in Senegal, life has returned to normal in the streets of Dakar. The party that came to power in March 2024 will also control the National Assembly. What do the Senegalese expect from the new power? A reporter from Ouestaf News went to meet them.
Liberté 6 roundabout, one of the busiest intersections in Dakar. We are not far from the center of the capital. The neighborhoods of the inner suburbs are not very far either. Buses honk their horns and vendors set up their wares along the road. Agents from the urban cleaning service, in their green outfits, collect the waste that litters the ground, indifferent to the noise, bursts of laughter and din that pollute the atmosphere.
Under an imposing tree housing a newsstand, individuals discuss the topic of the day: the results of the legislative elections held on November 17, 2024. In this neighborhood, each face they meet tells a story and defends an opinion on these elections…
Birahim, in his forties, his shirt carefully ironed, listens religiously to the radio on his cell phone. The day before, he voted “peacefully”, he said. And like all Senegalese, he knows that the ruling party, Pastef (African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity, Editor’s note), won by a wide margin. While waiting for the official results to be announced, he delivers his wish.
“We want a coherent and peaceful national assembly, with constructive debates for Senegal and for Africa. We don’t want a war assembly,” he said hopefully.
In the previous legislature, invectives and fistfights often broke out in the hemicycle. In January 2022, Senegalese justice sentenced two opposition deputies, Massata Samb and Mamadou Niang, to six months in prison for “willful assault and battery” against their colleague in power Amy Ndiaye during a session at the National Assembly on December 1, 2021.
About a hundred meters from the kiosk, Mamadou Faye, an elderly mason, looking tired but determined, is sitting on a stool, cap on his head. He voted in Colobane, an old popular and commercial district located a stone’s throw from the city center. All his hope lies in what the new National Assembly could do to bring about “changes, especially in the construction sector (buildings and public works). » “We have been waiting for years for promises to become reality” in this sector of activity, he emphasizes.
The cessation of land operations on the Dakar coast and on part of the Petite Côte was one of the first measures taken by the new authorities when they came to power. In May 2024, Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko set up a commission responsible for “control and verification of titles and occupations on old and new dependencies of the maritime public domain in the Dakar region”. The decision did not make only people happy.
At least two generations separate the old mason Mamadou Faye from the young Mamadou Diop. The latter, through his clothing, displays a relaxed attitude but speaks seriously.
“I didn’t vote,” he admits without complexes. “But I have confidence in them, based on their program. » Allusion to the numerous project promises declined by the head of the Pastef party list during the 21 days of electoral campaign preceding the vote of November 17.
In the distribution diagram of voters by age group published by the General Directorate of Elections (DGE) on November 5, 2024, people aged 18-25 and 26-35 constitute respectively 11% and 27% of voters in the file electoral.
A few steps away, on the same street, Boubacar Dabo, in his sixties, wearing a loose shirt and traditional pants, is sitting near the mosque at the Liberté 6 roundabout, staring at his newspaper.
“I didn’t vote. For what ? Because I don’t trust the new authorities. I fear for the future, especially for young people. I find them violent, and I fear that this will lead to more violence and injustice,” he says, martially.
The holding of the legislative elections was preceded by violent political tensions. At least 81 people were arrested in Saint-Louis (north) after scenes of violence between competing lists. They will be judged in flagrante delicto on December 2, 2024. In the middle of the electoral campaign, Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, head of the ruling party list, called on his supporters for “revenge” before retracting, following the outcry caused by his remarks within public opinion.
Contrary to Boubacar Dabo’s pessimist, another old man of his generation, sitting in the shade of a tree, proudly shows his finger which still bears the red of the indelible ink which proves that we voted.
“I voted, you see the proof. I didn’t have any difficulties. My expectations? Let people get to work. I am retired now, but young people have to work. »
For voters who voted to give the ruling party a comfortable majority, hope lies in the government initiative titled “Senegal 2050,” unveiled last October by Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko.
In this plan, the government promises to strengthen transparency, develop the territories, promote human capital and stimulate the economy.
However, this program does not have everyone’s support. “We’ve seen plans come and go. What is missing is their realization,” comments one of the old people present on the scene, adding his two cents to the conversation.
For the inhabitants of this district of Dakar, beyond the vote of November 17, the expectations are clear: concrete and visible actions to improve the daily life of populations in general and open up real job prospects for young people.
A bag seller, who passed by, summed up the general state of mind: “we want to see successful projects, roads built, jobs created. Not just speeches. »
At Liberty 6, citizens remain waiting; life continues between hope, skepticism and vigilance. “The elections are behind us, now we have to work,” asserts an octogenarian, the indelible ink still visible on one of his fingers.
YB-MD /ts
Would you like to react to this article or report an error to us? Send us a message at info(at)ouestaf.com.
Related News :