Polls have opened in Senegal’s parliamentary elections as President Bassirou Diomaye Faye aims for a resounding majority to see through the promises of ambitious reforms that swept him to power eight months ago.
More than seven million of the country’s 17 million people are eligible to vote on Sunday to pick members of the 165-seat National Assembly for a five-year term. Polls opened at 8am (08:00 GMT) and will close at 6pm (18:00 GMT).
Faye won the March election on a platform of economic transformation, social justice, and anti-corruption, inspiring hopes among the country’s largely youthful population struggling with high inflation and unemployment. In September, he dissolved the National Assembly.
After Sonko, his outspoken mentor, was barred from running for president due to defamation charges, Faye appointed him as prime minister. The two leaders vowed to pursue a left-wing pan-African agenda, aiming to diversify Senegal’s political and economic partnerships, reassess hydrocarbon and fishing contracts, and reclaim the country’s sovereignty, which they claimed had been compromised by foreign interests.