Senegal's ruling party “African Patriots of Senegal for Labour, Ethics and Brotherhood” (PASTEF), led by Prime Minister Usman Sonko, won an absolute majority in the National Assembly.
This is shown by the partial and preliminary results after yesterday's parliamentary elections in the country, published by electoral divisions in the country and abroad, reported the Senegalese news agency APS, quoted by BTA.
In most sections, the ruling party is followed by the coalitions “Protect your world“ and “United to save Senegal”, led respectively by the mayor of Dakar, Barthelemy Diaz, and the former president of the republic, Macky Sall.
PP “Peace and Prosperity“ of former Prime Minister Amadou Ba also played a role in the vote along with those of Diaz and Sal.
Opposition leaders recognized PASTEF's victory and congratulated its leader and candidates.
„I heartily congratulate PASTEF for this victory, which reflects the will of the people. This moment, beyond division, is a victory for our democracy, a victory for Senegal," Amadou Ba wrote on his Facebook page.
„Outside the electoral contests, Senegal is always the one to win. "Senegal is the one who won again," the former prime minister added.
Barthelemy Diaz also recognized the victory of Ousmane Sonko's party. “As the leader of the "Protect your world" coalition, I would like to warmly congratulate the winner of the PASTEF elections, Diaz responded on his Facebook page.
„I call on the ruling camp to now focus on meeting the needs of the Senegalese,” wrote Bougan Guye Dani, a party member of the mayor of Dakar.
„Senegalese voted and confirmed their choice on March 24 [presidential elections in Senegal, when Basirou Diomaye Faye, one of the PASTEF leaders, was elected – note ed.]. Thanks to my comrades from “Protecting Your World“ for the dedication and determination shown during the campaign. We take the consequences and we reaffirm our anchoring in the opposition, he added.
About 7.3 million Senegalese were called to the polls this Sunday to elect 165 MPs, including 15 responsible for representing the country's citizens living abroad.
Forty-one lists of parties or coalitions participated in the current early parliamentary elections.
112 seats are filled by majority-list voting. The party that is first in any of the country's 46 departments receives all the seats assigned to them, that is, a total of 112 mandates, distributed according to the demographics and economic weight of each constituency.
Fifty-three seats are filled by proportional representation.
Gabon voters overwhelmingly backed a new constitution in a referendum, the country's authorities said. The poll was held a year after a military coup toppled the long-serving president of the oil-rich Central African country, the Associated Press reported, citing BTA.
Over 91% of voters voted in Saturday's referendum on the new constitution, Interior Minister Herman Imongo announced. He added that the voter turnout was around 53.5 percent, and the final results will be announced by the Constitutional Court.
The draft constitution, which proposes major changes that would prevent dynastic rule, needs more than 50% of the vote to pass.
In 2023 the military overthrew President Ali Bongo Ondimba and placed him under house arrest, accusing him of mismanagement and corruption that had plunged the country into chaos. The junta released Ondimba a week ago on humanitarian grounds, allowing him to go abroad for treatment.
The military announced the commander of the Gabonese Republican Guard, Gen. Brice Oligi Ngema to chair the transition committee to lead the country. The general is Bongo Ondimba's cousin. The former president took office in 2009. after the death of his father, who ruled the country for 41 years.
The proposed constitution proposes a seven-year presidential term with a single right to re-election, instead of the current five-year term, after which the president can be re-elected an unlimited number of times. In the new basic law, relatives cannot succeed the president, as well as the abolition of the post of prime minister.
The former French colony is a member of OPEC, but its oil wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few. According to the World Bank, unemployment among Gabonese aged 15 to 24 is close to 40%.