AA/James Tasamba
Senegalese voters will go to the polls on Sunday for early legislative elections, months after electing the African continent’s youngest president in March.
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye called the elections after dissolving the opposition-led National Assembly in September, aiming to ease tensions between the legislature and executive.
This decision comes six months after Faye’s election on behalf of the opposition platform.
Nearly 7 million registered voters are eligible to participate in the election, with voting scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. local time (0800 GMT) and end at 6 p.m.
Voters will elect 165 deputies for a five-year term, including 15 representatives of the Senegalese diaspora abroad.
Faye had said the opposition-dominated parliament had made it difficult for him to implement the “systemic transformation” he had promised during his campaign.
He promised “free, democratic and transparent” elections.
The dissolved parliament elected in 2022 was dominated by members of former President Macky Sall’s party – Benno Bokk Yakkar.
– Coalitions
The election campaign began on October 27 and ended on November 15. Forty-one political parties, coalitions and groups are participating in the vote. Faye asked voters to give a mandate to her Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity (PASTEF) party. Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, Faye’s so-called political mentor, heads the PASTEF coalition list for the legislative elections.
Opposition coalitions led by Dakar Mayor Barthelemy Dias and former prime minister and former presidential candidate Amadou Ba are the main contenders in Sunday’s vote.
Ba leads the Jamm Ak Njarin coalition while Dias leads the Samm Sa Kaddu coalition. Former presidents Sall and Abdoulaye Wade have formed a rival coalition and pose a significant challenge despite defections from their camp. Sall is at the head of the Takku Wallu Senegal coalition for the legislative elections.
The opposition claims that there has been no change in the management of the country since Faye came to power, regarding the price of basic necessities and youth employment.
– What are the chances of Faye’s PASTEF party?
In a letter addressed to his supporters, Sall painted a “gloomy picture” of the situation in the country, a few months after his departure as head of state, after 12 years of presidency from 2012 to 2024. He added that he couldn’t stand by when things went wrong. Senegalese political analyst Abdou Diop said PASTEF is likely to gain a majority because it brings together young people. Faye, 44, won with 54% of the vote in the March presidential election.
“PASTEF needs a mandate to implement serious projects to create decent jobs, especially for young people and women,” Diop told Anadolu by telephone. Diop, a lawyer, predicts that many opposition leaders could disappear from the political scene after the elections because they lack the political and strategic vision necessary to confront Faye’s regime.
“This election is like a vote of confidence for Ousmane Sonko and Faye,” Diop said. The campaign was marred by tensions following violence between PASTEF supporters and the opposition.
– Importance and effects
Diop believes the election is important because a PASTEF victory will help Faye deliver on her campaign promises, including eradicating corruption.
“President Faye appears determined to deliver on the commitments he has made – there is no reason to doubt that. But all that remains is to ensure that all the conditions for his success are met – by giving his party lawmakers a majority to pass the relevant laws. It’s a question of political logic,” he said.
The ruling party needs a three-fifths majority to implement the proposed constitutional amendments. Diop stressed that a victory for Faye’s party could mean a systemic transformation through the country’s development plan for 2050 which plans to carry out the necessary reforms in different sectors of the economy, notably fishing, mining. , agriculture, trade, education, higher education, the informal sector and taxation.
Adama Sy, a civil society activist, said, however, that it is necessary for the National Assembly to be able to “effectively control the excesses of government actions.”
Some political analysts believe that Faye’s powers on the political scene could diminish if PASTEF gains a majority for the 15th legislature. Among them, Jean Baptist Tabaro, a Rwanda-based researcher on governance and public policy, argued that the fact that Ousmane Sonko did not run in the legislative elections under Faye’s banner is an indicator that space The politics of power the day after the elections will lean in favor of Sonko.
“If PASTEF wins the legislative elections, Faye will no longer have any political space; Instead, Sonko will be the dominant figure and seen as the kingmaker,” he said.
Only part of the dispatches, which the Anadolu Agency broadcasts to its subscribers via the Internal Broadcasting System (HAS), is broadcast on the AA website, in summary form. Please contact us to subscribe.
Related News :