Senegal parliamentary elections: Polls open, over 7 million expected to vote

Senegalese are voting on Sunday (Nov. 17) in a key legislative election that's set to determine if the country's newly-elected president can carry out ambitious reforms.

Voters in Senegal are choosing today 165 lawmakers in the nation's assembly, where the party of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye currently does not hold a majority.

Parties have fielded 41 candidate lists and four major coalitions dominate the race. Former President Macky Sall leads the Takku Wallu opposition platform.

Faye, who was elected in March on an anti-establishment platform, said that has blocked him from executing the reforms he pledged during his campaign, including fighting corruption, reviewing fishing permits for foreign companies, and securing a bigger share from the country’s natural resources for the population.

His prime minister Ousmane Sonko did not present in the assembly where the opposition threatened a vote of no confidence.

Politicians wrapped up a tense electoral campaign on Friday (Nov. 15). The campaign was marked by sporadic clashes between different party supporters. Clashes erupted between supporters in central Senegal in recent weeks and the headquarters of an opposition party were set on fire in the capital Dakar, the ministry of the interior said Monday (Nov. 11).

On Tuesday (Nov. 12), Ousmane Sonko, the country’s prime minister and a popular opposition figure who helped catapult Faye to victory, denounced attacks against supporters of his party PASTEF in Dakar and other cities.

“May each patriot they have attacked and injured, be proportionally avenged. We will exercise our legitimate right to respond,” he wrote on X, before back-pedalling and asking his supporters to remain peaceful in a speech later that day.

Last month Sonko's vehicle was attacked with stones as clashes broke out between his supporters and unidentified attackers while he was campaigning in Koungueul, in the center of the country. The leader of an allied party, former minister Malick Gackou, had his arm broken in the incident, according to local media.

In September, president Faye dissolved the opposition-led parliament, paving the way for a snap legislative election.

Senegalese queued outside polling stations on Sunday as polls opened for a key legislative election that's set to determine if the country's newly-elected president can carry out ambitious reforms.

More than 7 million registered voters in the West African country are choosing 165 lawmakers in the national assembly, where the party of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye currently does not hold a majority.

Parties have fielded 41 candidate lists and four major coalitions dominate the race.

Faye, who was elected in March on an anti-establishment platform, says he has been blocked him from executing the reforms he pledged during his campaign, including reviewing fishing permits for foreign companies.

His prime minister Ousmane Sonko did not present his policy speech in Parliament where the opposition threatened a vote of no confidence.

Faye’s political party, PASTEF, needs at least 83 seats in order to gain a majority .

The first provisional results are expected by Monday.

morning, but the final count will only be published later during the week.

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Former President Macky Sall leads the Takku Wallu opposition platform.

Faye, who was elected in March on an anti-establishment platform, says that has blocked him from executing the reforms he pledged during his campaign, including fighting corruption, reviewing fishing permits for foreign companies and securing a bigger share from the country’s natural resources for the population.

In September, he dissolved the opposition-led parliament, paving the way for a snap legislative election.

His party is facing the Takku Wallu opposition platform led by former President Macky Sall, alongside 39 other registered parties and coalitions.

Polls will close at 6 p.m (1800 GMT).

The first provisional results are expected to be known by Monday morning, but the final count will only be published later during the week.

Faye’s political party, PASTEF, needs at least 83 seats in order to gain a majority in the assembly.

Analysts say it has a high chance of securing that, given its popularity and Faye's margin of victory in the March presidential election.