Senegal’s ruling party won over three-quarters of parliamentary seats in weekend elections, according to national provisional results announced Thursday, potentially handing them the means to deliver their ambitious reform agenda.President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s Pastef party secured 130 seats in the west African country’s 165-seat national assembly, according to an AFP tally of figures given by the national vote-counting commission, confirmed by a Pastef official.The results from Sunday’s vote remain provisional, pending confirmation by the Constitutional Council within a five-day period.It would be the largest majorities ever won by a single party in a legislative election. The Socialist Party obtained 103 seats out of 120 under then-president Abdou Diouf in 1988, with stronger majorities having since emerged, such as in 2012, but it was a coalition.The opposition was quashed. Former president Macky Sall’s coalition settled for just 16 MPs, with seven for former premier Amadou Ba’s and three for Dakar Mayor Barthelemy Dias’, provisional results showed.Highly influential and charismatic Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, who was the lead candidate for Pastef, is considered the mastermind behind the legislative landslide.After sweeping to power eight months ago, the new leaders must address the expectations of the hard-up Senegalese population, after promising profound change in the form of leftist Pan-Africanism.The objective is “a coherent and pragmatic systemic transformation of Senegal”, Faye told a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.He spoke of a need to deal with “economic and social emergencies” such as the high cost of living and unemployment, while revitalising the economy, “particularly in the driving sectors of agriculture, livestock farming, tourism, mining and hydrocarbons”.The national commission’s figures are a compilation of results published at the departmental level on Tuesday, which already indicated Pastef’s triumph.- High hopes -After three years of economic and political turmoil in Senegal, Faye and Sonko secured victory pledging economic transformation, social justice and a fight against corruption.Their election spurred hopes among a largely youthful population facing high inflation and widespread unemployment.But an opposition-led parliament hampered the government’s first months in power, leading Faye to dissolve the chamber in September and call snap elections as soon as the constitution allowed him to do so.The pair have vowed to diversify political and economic partnerships, review hydrocarbon and fishing contracts and re-establish Senegal’s sovereignty, which they claimed had been sold abroad.The opposition had accused the new government of inaction, amateurism and a desire to settle scores with the previous administration.Sonko has argued that he and Faye inherited a difficult legacy from the former administration and faced resistance to their ambitious reforms.Unemployment stands at more than 20 percent and scores of people continue to risk their lives every month attempting to reach Europe by boat.The government said an audit of public finances revealed a wider budget deficit than previously announced, with the International Monetary Fund suspending an aid programme pending the audit’s review.Moody’s downgraded Senegal’s credit rating following the conclusions of the audit and placed the country under observation.
