Senegalese voters turned out Sunday for parliamentary elections that could determine whether President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s government can deliver on sweeping promises of economic transformation and social justice that propelled him to power eight months ago.
The election, called after Faye dissolved parliament in September, aims to break a legislative gridlock that has hampered his administration’s reform agenda. Approximately 7.3 million registered voters will select 165 members of parliament for five-year terms.
“I hope that [the ruling party] Pastef will win the elections to gain a majority so that they can better carry out their mandate,” said Pascal Goudiaby, 56, waiting to vote in Dakar. “The priority is unemployment, young people are facing so much unemployment.”
Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, Faye’s mentor and a firebrand politician whose own presidential bid was blocked, cast his ballot in the southern city of Ziguinchor, calling for peaceful participation. “Democracy is expressed in peace and stability, and I believe that in a democracy there is no room for violence,” Sonko said.
The new administration faces significant challenges, with unemployment exceeding 20 percent and mounting economic pressures. Recent audits revealed a larger budget deficit than previously reported, leading to a suspended International Monetary Fund aid program and a Moody’s credit rating downgrade.
Since taking office, the government has implemented price controls on essential goods like rice, oil, and sugar while launching ambitious justice system reforms. Faye and Sonko have promoted a leftist pan-African agenda, promising to review hydrocarbon and fishing contracts while strengthening national sovereignty.
The opposition, though fragmented, includes former president Macky Sall leading a coalition from abroad – an unusual move breaking with Senegal’s tradition of former leaders maintaining political distance. Former prime minister Amadou Ba and Dakar mayor Barthelemy Dias also head opposition groups.
“I think that whoever you gave your confidence to in the presidential election, you need to renew your confidence in him so that he can achieve what he started,” said voter Toure Aby, 56. “We want life to be less expensive for the Senegalese. Everything’s expensive: water, electricity, food.”
The election underscores Senegal’s democratic stability in a region troubled by coups, though the vote follows one of the country’s worst political crises, triggered by Sall’s attempted postponement of the presidential election.
Polling stations close at 6:00 p.m. local time, with reliable projections of the new parliament’s composition expected Monday morning. Analysts note that Senegalese voters have historically confirmed their presidential choice in parliamentary elections, suggesting favorable odds for Faye’s Pastef party.
VOA
