The presidential camp has lost its absolute majority in the National Assembly in Senegal’s July 31 legislative elections, but is still leading by a very narrow margin, according to official provisional results from the National Commission for the Census of Votes (CNRV) published Thursday.
For the first time since independence in 1960 in this West African country known for its stability, the ruling party loses its absolute majority and will have to rely on other forces in parliament to pass its laws.
President Macky Sall’s coalition has gone from 125 MPs in 2017 to 82 out of 165 in the Assembly, according to official provisional results released by the CNRV.
The opposition confirmed its momentum already initiated during the January local elections, especially in some large cities, and won 80 seats in total: 56 for the “Yewwi Askan Wi” coalition and 24 for the “Wallu Senegal” coalition which formed an alliance for the legislative elections.
A further three MPs came from the ranks of three other small party coalitions. The final figures are to be published by the Constitutional Council within five days if there are no appeals.
These results could convince the president, disavowed by the ballot box, to abandon his plan to run again in the 2024 presidential elections, say experts and observers. President Sall, elected in 2012 for seven years and re-elected in 2019 for five years, remains vague about his intentions.