Senegal's legislative election: What you need to know

Voters in Senegal will head to the polls Sunday for snap legislative elections, months after electing the youngest president on the African continent in March.

President Bassirou Diomaye Faye called the election after dissolving the opposition-led National Assembly in September in a bid to break the tension between the legislature and the executive.

The move came six months after Faye was elected under the opposition platform.

Roughly 7 million registered voters are eligible to take part in the election, with polling set to start at 8 a.m. local time (0800GMT) and close at 6 p.m.

Voters will elect 165 lawmakers to a five-year term, including 15 representing citizens living abroad.

Faye said the opposition-dominated legislature had made it hard for him to execute the “systemic transformation” that he promised during campaigns.

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 Oct. 27 and ended Nov. 15. Forty-one parties, coalitions and political groups are participating in the election.

Faye has asked voters to give his Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity (PASTEF) party a mandate.

Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, Faye's so-called political mentor, heads PASTEF's coalition list for the legislative elections.

Opposition coalitions led by Dakar's Mayor Barthelemy Dias and former Prime Minister and former presidential candidate Amadou Ba are top contenders in Sunday's vote.

Ba leads the Jamm Ak Njarin coalition while Dias is leading the Samm Sa Kaddu coalition.

Former presidents Sall and Abdoulaye Wade have formed a rival coalition and pose a big challenge despite defections from their camp.

Sall is leading the Takku Wallu Senegal coalition for the legislative elections.

The opposition claims that there has not been any change in management of the country since Faye assumed power, in relation to the price of necessities and youth employment.

- What are the chances for Faye's PASTEF party?

In a letter to supporters, Sall painted a “gloomy picture” of the country's situation, months after his departure as head of state, after 12 years as president from 2012 – 2024. He added that he could not sit back when things were going astray.

Senegalese political analyst, Abdou Diop, said PASTEF is likely to secure a majority as it rallies the youth.

Faye, 44, won with 54% of the vote in the March presidential election.

“PASTEF needs a mandate to implement serious projects for the creation of decent jobs, especially for young people and women,” Diop told Anadolu over the phone.

Diop, a lawyer, predicted 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 confidence vote for Ousmane Sonko and Faye,” said Diop.

The campaign was marred by tension following violence between supporters of PASTEF and the opposition.

- Significance and effect

Diop believes the election is significant as a victory for PASTEF will help Faye fulfill his campaign promises, including uprooting corruption.

“President Faye looks committed to fulfilling the commitments that he 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 majority legislators to pass relevant laws. It is a question of political logic,” he said.

The ruling party needs a three-fifths majority to effect any proposed constitutional amendments.

Diop underlined that a win by Faye's party could mean systemic transformation through the 2050 country's development blueprint which involves making necessary reforms in different sectors of the economy, including fisheries, mining, agriculture, trade, education, higher education, the informal sector and taxation.

Adama Sy, a civil society activist said, however, that there is a need for the National Assembly to be capable of “effectively checking the excesses of the government actions.”

Some political analysts think Faye's powers on the political scene could wane if PASTEF obtains 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 go to the legislative elections under the banner of Faye is an indicator that the political space of power in the aftermath of the elections will tilt toward 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 kingmaker,” he said.