Legislative elections in Senegal: Heeled over by the opposition, the ruling party loses its absolute majority.

The provisional results of the legislative elections of Sunday 31 July are known since Thursday 04 August 2022 in Senegal. In this election, the presidential party did not win as many seats as in 2017, while the opposition won 80 of the 165 seats. The opposition will therefore be able to influence decision-making in the new term.

The official provisional results of the legislative elections of 31 July 2022 are in favour of the opposition. The coalition “yewwi Askan wi-wallu Senegal”, made the presidential camp lose its absolute majority. In the history of Senegalese politics, this is the first time since 1960 that the movement will rely on allies other than its own in the decision-making process and for cohabitation between parliamentarians. Of the 165 seats in the assembly, the ruling party got only 82 compared to the 2017 legislative elections when it got 125 seats. As for the opposition coalition, it obtained 80 seats including 56 for “Yewwi Askan wi” and 24 for “wallu Senegal”. Three other MPs are from other small party coalitions.

The uncertainty of a third term for Macky Sall.

For experts and observers, the results of the 2022 legislative elections could lead President Macky Sall to renounce his intention, although not yet clear, to run for a third term in 2024. “The question of the third term was definitively settled by the Senegalese people on election day. With this Parliament, Macky Sall no longer has the possibility of amending the Constitution, which only allows the president to serve one more term,” said Ngouda Nboup, a Senegalese constitutionalist.

The opposition, not very confident, puts up safeguards.

Shortly after the announcement of the provisional results, an official of the opposition coalition referred the matter to the electoral commission for verification of the minutes in order to make observations and, if possible, complaints. At the same time, Ms. Aida Mbodji, leader of the opposition, denounced the electoral commission’s scheming during a press conference. She spoke of “ballot box stuffing” and “prefabricated and unsigned minutes” created in localities in northern Senegal including Matam, Podor, Ranérou and Kanel, strongholds of President Sall.

For his part, Ousmane Sonko, another major opposition figure is calling for mobilization and vigilance to avoid a confiscation of the victory, while President Macky Sall congratulated the entire population for the calm in which the elections took place during the council of ministers on Wednesday.

A peaceful election, however, according to observers.

For the international observers of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Collective of Civil Society Organisations for Elections (COSCE), the elections took place in a peaceful and transparent atmosphere. Except that the pre-campaign was turbulent because of the violence that led to the death of three people following the invalidation by the Constitutional Council of the holders of the national list of the coalition led by Mr Sonko.

It should be recalled that the final results will be given in five days if the Constitutional Council does not register any appeal.

Thierry Hounye(stag).