Photos: Semafor Africa\YouTube\Wikimedia Commons
Senegal’s president hoped calling a legislative election would shore up his power in Parliament. But a new opposition movement and uncertainty about the strength of his alliances means the outcome of his move is unclear.
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye announced the dissolution of Parliament late last Thursday and called for a parliamentary election on Nov. 17. Opposition politicians, most of whom were in the party of Faye’s immediate predecessor Macky Sall, had made up the majority of the legislature. Faye hopes to secure more seats in the election to ease the path of his legislative agenda through Parliament, say analysts.
But, despite Faye having been swept to power in a presidential election in March, his PASTEF party is not assured of securing a majority. Senegal’s National Assembly was made up of a 51%-49% balance, with Sall’s BBY coalition making up the slim majority. But each political party has few reliable allies.
Former Prime Minister Amadou Ba, who was defeated by Faye in the presidential election, launched a political movement in recent days that could also change the electoral map. His movement pledged to “build solid alliances” and “usher in a new era of institutional dialogue and shared progress.”
Political essayist Souleymane Gassama, also known as Elgas, told Semafor Africa that Faye’s gamble could backfire. “Discontent is not general, yet, but the state of grace is running out of steam,” he told Semafor Africa.
| Senegal is moving from a “grotesque situation to a semblance of normality.” → |
