Polling stations closed in Senegal in the legislative elections that took place today, Sunday, to select 165 deputies to parliament, for a 5-year term.
About 7 million voters had cast their votes to choose their representatives in Parliament from among 8 lists representing coalitions of the majority and the opposition.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, which is overseeing the vote, deployed about 22,000 observers across the country, as well as observers from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Fifty-three deputies are elected according to a system that combines proportional representation with national lists, and 97 deputies are elected according to a majority system in the regions.
Expatriates elect the remaining 15 members of Parliament.
Eight coalitions are competing in these elections, including the largest opposition coalition "Free the People" led by Ousmane Sonko, who allied with the "Save Senegal" coalition led by former President Abdoulaye Wade.
While the coalition supporting President Macky Sall aspires to maintain an absolute majority in the National Assembly, the opposition coalition seeks to impose a better presence in Parliament, as the opposition hopes that the legislative elections will represent a step towards Sall's exit from office, as 14 months remain in his second presidential term.
These legislative elections are a test after the local elections that took place last March, in which the opposition won in major cities, including the capital, Dakar and Ziguinchor in the south, and Tess in the west, in this country known for its stability in West Africa.
The opposition wants to force Sall to abandon any ambitions to run in 2024, as current President Sall - who was elected in 2012 for a 7-year term and then re-elected in 2019 for another 5 years - has been accused of seeking to exceed the maximum presidential term and run again in 2024.
Sall has not revealed his intentions in this regard, but any defeat of his supporters in Sunday's elections could undermine plans of this kind.
The elections took place in light of high prices, especially due to the repercussions of the war in Ukraine, which are arguments used by the opposition against the authority, which, on its part, focuses on subsidizing oil products and foodstuffs, as well as its program to build infrastructure.
Several opposition figures, including Sonko, were prevented from running in today's elections.
But she did not miss the opportunity to call on her supporters to protest what she saw as a ploy by President Macky Sall to exclude his opponents under the cover of legal means.
After threatening to prevent the organization of the elections, the opposition finally agreed on June 29 to participate in them, which led to the easing of tension.