A voter casts his or her vote at a polling station in the fishing village of Ndayane during Senegal’s parliamentary elections on November 17, 2024.
John Wessels | AFP | Getty Images
Senegal goes to the polls on Sunday for legislative elections that the president hopes will give his party a clear majority and the means to implement an ambitious reform agenda.
Political rivals have clashed, sometimes violently, during the heated campaign, raising fears of unrest. Ahead of March’s presidential election, the West African country has experienced some of its worst political violence in recent history.
Voting opens at 8am (0800 GMT) and ends at 6pm More than 7 million registered voters will have the opportunity to cast their ballots for candidates in 165 parliamentary seats among 41 registered political parties or other entities.
Senegalese voters’ top priority is jobs and the economy as inflation squeezes livelihoods and the country’s growing young population struggles to find employment. Many people are impatient for change.
New President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has pledged to help, but his government is grappling with slower-than-expected growth and a worsening budget deficit.
In September, a government audit revealed that Senegal’s debt and budget deficit were much larger than reported by the previous government, escalating the fiscal crisis.
Since the discovery, the $1.9 billion program agreed by the International Monetary Fund in June 2023 has been put on hold.
To implement reforms, Faye’s government hopes to win a clear majority in parliament.
The main threat to Pastev’s party ambitions is an unexpected alliance between two opposition parties, including the Republican Party (APR) led by former Prime Minister Macky Sall.
The race also includes two smaller opposition coalitions. A group led by Dakar Mayor Barthelemy Dias clashed with Pastev’s supporters.
A timetable for the results of the vote has not yet been released.
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