Senegal's crucial parliament vote shows unexpected early results
Senegalʼs legislative elections bring surprise early concessions from opposition leaders‚ while votes still being counted. Presidentʼs party shows strong lead in race for control of 165-seat assembly
In a fast-moving turn of events last sunday opposition leaders started giving up the race while vote-counting was still in progress. The nations 7-million strong electorate turned out to pick new parliament members creating an un-expected shift in Senegals political landscape
Bassirou Diomaye Fayeʼs Pastef party gained clear momentum in early counts (according to interior ministry sources). The president who voted in his home-town Ndiaganiao made a well-timed call for peace:
I call on voters to show serenity and accept the popular will expressed through the ballot box
The race included several key players:
- Pastef party led by Faye
- Republic party (APR) with ex-PM Macky Sall
- Opposition coalition SAMM Sa Kaddu
- Gueum Sa Bopp Les Jambars party
Dakars mayor Barthelemy Dias who leads SAMM Sa Kaddu became first to acknowledge defeat; his quick move showed how clear the voting trends were developing
The elections happened about 8 months after Fayeʼs land-slide presidential win. His government found bigger-than-reported debt problems and a stuck IMF deal worth $1‚9 billion from jun-2023. The new parliament might help push through much-needed economic fixes - the country faces high prices and job-market problems that need quick action
The voting process went smooth despite earlier worries about possible un-rest. People could vote from 8am till 6pm with 41 different political groups competing for 165 assembly seats
