Senegal’s Constitutional Council has confirmed that the ruling Pastef party secured a historic victory in the country’s parliamentary elections, winning 130 out of 165 seats. This landslide victory provides the governing party with the majority needed to push forward its pan-Africanist agenda.
The victory marks one of the largest majorities ever secured by a single party in Senegal’s parliamentary history. Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who assumed the presidency in March, ran on a platform of reform aimed at addressing the nation’s economic challenges and political instability, including high unemployment rates and a three-year period of crisis.
However, Faye’s efforts to implement his left-wing policies were stifled by an opposition-dominated parliament, leading him to dissolve the assembly when constitutionally permitted.
The final election results serve as a win for Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, who led the Pastef campaign. Sonko, a former opposition leader, campaigned vigorously across the country, rallying support for Pastef’s platform and its vision for change.
The election results confirm a significant defeat for Senegal’s opposition parties. Coalitions led by former president Macky Sall and his successor Amadou Ba secured only 16 and seven seats, respectively. Meanwhile, the political movement of Dakar Mayor Barthélemy Dias, who had a heated campaign rivalry with Sonko, won three seats.
Independent candidate Tahirou Sarr also secured a seat, having run a campaign that focused heavily on nationalist rhetoric and attacks on Senegal’s foreign communities, particularly those from Guinea and Lebanon.
While other governments have won stronger majorities through coalitions, this victory is notable as it is achieved by a single party. In 1988, Senegal’s Socialist Party won 103 out of 120 seats under then-president Abdou Diouf.
