Mixed feelings among Senegal's residents about election, as government claims victory

Senegal's government has declared victory in the country's snap parliamentary elections, with a majority of the votes counted.

There were mixed feelings among residents after polls closed.

Unemployment and inflation are hitting young people in the country particularly hard; some hope the election will bring change.

Aita Pene, a student, said, “these elections could change a lot for me, like all other young people. We all need work. We need to be able to do something for ourselves. We need to be able to live a good life in Senegal so we don’t have to go outside to find it.”

The election back in March came after months of violent clampdowns on demonstrators. Some hope this election will lead to scrapping the law pardoning those responsible for the violence.

Assmalick Ndoye, a building technician, said “a lot of citizens want this to be repealed. Get rid of the amnesty (law) so that justice can be done for the victims.”

Others are less positive. Lacking a majority in parliament, President Diomaye Faye has failed to push through the reforms he pledged, including tackling corruption and clinching a larger share of the country's natural resources for the population. Some think this will continue to be the case.

Among them is Ndeye Dior Gaye, a hairdresser, who said, “Dakar, and Senegal, we can’t build them up by talking. It’s work that counts. These people who think they’re big guys since they’ve been in power, everyone understands what’s happening. If you’ve been here for seven months and you’ve done nothing, you won’t be able to do something if you stay in power for seven years.”