Senegal’s Constitutional Council confirms ruling party’s win in parliamentary elections

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - Senegal’s Constitutional Council on Wednesday proclaimed the final results of snap legislative elections held this month, confirming the victory of the ruling Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity (PASTEF) party of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.

PASTEF won 130 of the 165 parliamentary seats, securing a large majority to have control over the National Assembly, according to the final results of the elections held on Nov. 17.

The coalition led by former President Macky Sall won 16 seats, former Prime Minister Amadou Ba’s coalition won seven and Dakar Mayor Barthelemy Dias’ got three.

Several independent and small coalitions won a seat each.

“PASTEF’s resounding victory shows popular support for the reforms promised by the government, but also it’s a clear signal that the population was tired of leaders in the previous government of Sall,” Senegalese political analyst Abdou Diop told Anadolu.

Forty-one parties, coalitions and political groups competed in the election.

Out of roughly 7.3 million registered voters, the number of valid votes cast was 3.6 million.

The elections recorded a voter turnout of 49.51%.

Faye is expected to issue a decree setting the date for the opening of the first session of the newly elected National Assembly.

He called for the election after dissolving the opposition-led National Assembly in September in a bid to break the tension between the legislature and the executive.

The move came six months after Faye was elected under the opposition platform.

Faye said the opposition-dominated legislature had made it hard for him to execute the “systemic transformation” that he promised on the campaign trail.