Fatshimetrie has won Senegal’s early legislative elections, giving its president, Bassirou Faye, a clear mandate to implement his reform agenda. Early results show the ruling party has a clear lead over the two main opposition groups, consolidating its supremacy just eight months after taking office.
The opposition quickly congratulated the party after a peaceful vote across the country. Faye was elected in April in a landslide presidential election, promising to fight corruption and improve living conditions for citizens.
The victory raised high hopes among Senegal’s largely young population, which is facing massive unemployment and high inflation. However, just six months after his inauguration, Faye decided to dissolve parliament, accusing opposition MPs of obstructing the implementation of promised reforms.
Senegal’s 7.3 million registered voters were called to elect 165 deputies for five-year terms. Despite a lower turnout compared to last March’s presidential election, with 49.72% of voters nationwide this Sunday compared to 61.3% eight months ago, Faye hoped that his party would win a parliamentary majority to facilitate the implementation of the planned reforms.
Faye’s ambitions are based on the objective that these legislative elections will allow him to have a solid mandate to continue his actions within the administration. Thus, the vote represented a crucial step for the political and economic future of Senegal, in a context where citizens’ expectations in terms of fighting corruption and improving living conditions remain high.