DAKAR, Nov 17 (Reuters) – Expectations were growing that President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s party would win Senegal’s Sunday legislative elections after two opposition leaders conceded while votes were still being counted.
The heated campaign period had revived concerns about unrest as political rivals clashed, sometimes violently. The West African nation saw some of the worst political violence in recent history ahead of the presidential election in March.
Faye, who is seeking a clear parliamentary majority to implement his promised reform agenda, urged the electorate to remain calm no matter the outcome, as he voted in his home town of Ndiaganiao.
“I once again call on voters… to show serenity, commit to the peaceful route, and to accept the popular will that will be expressed through the ballot box.”
Polls opened at 8 a.m. (0800 GMT) and closed at 6 p.m. It is not clear when provisional results will be announced, but tallies from polling stations showed Faye’s Pastef party with a sizable lead, a source in the interior ministry said.
These results led the mayor of the capital Dakar, Barthelemy Dias, and the leader of the Gueum Sa Bopp Les Jambars party to concede the race to Pastef.
“I would like to congratulate Pastef, the winner of the election,” said Dias, who is head of one of the opposition coalitions, SAMM Sa Kaddu.
The main threat to the ambitions of Faye’s Pastef party is the unexpected alliance of two opposition parties, including the Republic party (APR) headed by the former Prime Minister Macky Sall. This coalition has yet to comment on the results.
More than 7 million registered voters had the chance to vote for candidates for the 165-seat assembly, choosing between 41 registered parties or other entities.
At stake is Faye’s mandate to make good on promises to crack down on corruption and improve livelihoods that helped sweep him to power in April following a landslide election victory.
Top priorities for Senegalese voters were jobs and the economy, as inflation has squeezed livelihoods and the nation’s growing youth population struggles to find employment. Many are impatient for change.
Faye says his commitment to help has been stymied by the opposition-led assembly, which he dissolved in September to pave the way for Sunday’s vote. His government is also grappling with slower-than-projected growth and a worsening budget deficit.
In September, a government audit revealed that Senegal’s debt and budget deficit were much wider than the previous administration had reported, causing the fiscal crisis to spiral. A $1.9 billion IMF programme agreed in June 2023 has been on hold since the discovery.
(Writing by Jessica Donati and Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Jan Harvey and Diane Craft)
