High cost of living in Senegal: the majority defends its balance sheet, the oppositions state their measures

Women shop at the Rufisque market near Dakar on April 3, 2022. AFP - JOHN WESSELS

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In Senegal, voting day this Sunday, July 31 for citizens who will renew the 165 parliamentary seats.

Two years before the upcoming presidential election, these legislative elections have test value both for the opposition, which aims for cohabitation, and for the majority.

At the heart of voters' concerns: the high cost of living which has invaded the countryside, while Senegal is experiencing inflation of nearly 9%, linked to the Covid-19 crisis and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

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With our correspondent in Dakar,

In the markets of the capital, the prices of foodstuffs such as oil, rice or onions have sometimes

.

Jeanne, a mother, prefers to buy large quantities to negotiate prices and relieve daily food expenses.

To try to win a majority of seats in the National Assembly, the main opposition coalition, Yewwi Askan Wi, has multiplied the proposals: rectification of the budget, temporary suspension of certain taxes, subsidy of everyday consumer products and services... Ousmane Sonko, an opposition figure who is not yet a candidate, even announced that the first law passed after the elections would be devoted to the high cost of living.

On the other hand, the majority boasts of its record to maintain purchasing power: increase in the salaries of civil servants, distribution of 120 euros to 500,000 vulnerable families, revaluation of retirement pensions… The State has also waived certain taxes and customs duties on wheat and hydrocarbons, to which are added subsidies to maintain prices - which weighs heavily on the country's budget.

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