Just eight months after the last time the people of Senegal went to the polls, they will once again assemble a new parliament on Sunday.
The approximately 7.3 million registered voters in the West African country will elect 165 members of parliament. This is written by the AFP news agency.
Bassirou Diomaye Faye became president after the elections in March, but faced great opposition from the opposition and was forced to dissolve the elected assembly and call elections in the autumn.
When he was elected in March, he promised to fight corruption in Senegal and work for economic transformation and social justice.
One of his goals was to reduce unemployment in the country, where one in five of the working age is without a job, and where high inflation is putting pressure on ordinary Senegalese.
In Faye’s few months as president, the opposition has accused him and his government of being amateurish and inept.
Despite the opposition in the opposition, the president’s party, the Pastef party, according to analysts, is set to become the largest in the parliamentary election.
One of those who votes for the Pastef party is 56-year-old Pascal Goudiaby.
– I hope that Pastef wins the election and gets a majority so that it can better use its mandate. The most important thing is unemployment. Young people experience so much unemployment, says Pascal Goudiaby to AFP.
After the March elections, Faye appointed her adviser Oumane Sonko as Prime Minister. Sonko himself has previously tried to become president.
The two would – in addition to focusing on Senegal’s economy and unemployment – pursue a pan-African policy focusing on cooperation and political and economic partnerships with other countries in the region.
The opposition in Senegal is fragmented, and part of the opposition is led by former president Macky Sall, who has moved abroad.
The polling stations close on Sunday at 18:00 local time – 19:00 Danish time.
/ritzau/
Source: www.kristeligt-dagblad.dk
