DAKAR - Senegal votes in parliamentary elections on Sunday, with the new leaders aiming for a resounding majority to see through the promise of ambitious reform that swept them to power eight months ago. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye secured victory in March pledging economic transformation, social justice and a fight against corruption -- raising hopes among a largely youthful population facing high inflation and widespread unemployment.
Faye appointed his firebrand mentor Ousmane Sonko as prime minister, after Sonko’s own bid to run for president was blocked following a three-year deadly standoff with the former authorities. The pair promised a leftist pan-African agenda -- vowing to diversify political and economic partnerships, review hydrocarbon and fishing contracts and re-establish Senegal’s sovereignty, which they claimed had been sold abroad. But an opposition-led parliament hampered the government’s first months in power, leading Faye to dissolve the chamber in September and call snap elections as soon as the constitution allowed him to do so. Polling stations in the West African country will open at 8:00 am (0800 GMT), with the roughly 7.3 million registered voters electing 165 MPs for five-year terms. Voters will continue a long democratic tradition in Senegal, widely seen as a stable outlier in a coup-plagued region. Analysts say Senegalese voters have historically confirmed their presidential choice during parliamentary elections, and the ruling Pastef party is the favourite to win. Prime Minister Sonko spent three weeks on the campaign trail promising projects and investment in the regions he visited, while applauding patriotism and national sovereignty. Reminiscent of his years as a fiery opposition leader, he called for vengeance after attacks against his supporters during the election campaign, but later urged calm.