2007 Senegalese parliamentary election

Electoral system

In late March, the National Assembly passed a law requiring gender parity in national candidate lists; this move was backed by Wade. However, in early April it was reported that, due to an appeal against the law filed by the Socialist Party, the application of the law was suspended and it was not in effect for the June election.

According to an electoral commission official in May, over 4,000 candidates were standing for the 150 National Assembly seats. Campaigning for the election began on 13 May Members of the security forces voted a week early, on May 26 and May 27. Participation among the security forces was placed at 27.23%, and the boycotting parties (grouped into a coalition called the Siggil Sénégal Front) said that this indicated that the security forces observed the boycott.

Campaign

On 2 April, twelve opposition parties, including the former ruling Socialist Party and the Rewmi party of Idrissa Seck, who placed second in the presidential election, announced they would boycott the election, alleging that the electoral roll was doctored. They wanted the electoral roll to be revised and for a new, independent electoral commission to be created. They had demanded that the Interior Minister, Ousmane Ngom, be dismissed; they also said that the constituencies were drawn to the advantage of the Democratic Party of President Abdoulaye Wade, and demanded that they be redrawn. On 6 April, several of the main parties participating in the boycott announced that they were withdrawing their guarantees of 15 million CFA francs in order to invalidate their candidacies, citing the unwillingness of Wade to engage in dialogue. 15 parties or coalitions filed candidate lists with the Interior Ministry, which had three days to determine the validity of the lists. Interior Minister Ngom pointed to the participation of 15 lists as evidence for the health of Senegalese democracy; 14 of the lists were approved and one, an independent list, was rejected.

In late April, the boycotting parties began a tour intended to explain the boycott throughout the country.

Results

Initial reports described voter turnout as low, and it was estimated that turnout was no higher than 30–35%. Ngom In the February 2007 presidential elections, turnout had been 70%; in the 2001 parliamentary elections it had been 67.4%. Former president Abdou Diouf voted in the election in Paris, despite the participation of the Socialist Party, which he led while he was president, in the boycott.

An interior ministry estimate on 4 June placed turnout at about 38%. Sall said that the Sopi Coalition won all 35 electoral districts and all of the 90 seats determined by majority voting. On the same day, the Siggil Sénégal Front demanded that Wade cancel the election and engage in dialogue with the opposition.

Provisional results were released on 7 June showed the Sopi Coalition with a total of 131 seats, taking all 90 of the seats elected by majority voting and a further 41 seats elected by proportional representation. Voter turnout was placed at 34.75%. Final results from the Constitutional Council on 14 June confirmed Sopi's victory with 131 seats.

Aftermath

On 19 June Cheikh Hadjibou Soumaré, a technocrat who was not a member of the PDS, was appointed prime minister by Wade to replace Sall. A new government, largely similar to the old government and not including the opposition, was named on the same day.

References

References

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2. [http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=68&art_id=nw20070513215522340C245925 "Parties to boycott Senegal's legislative poll"], AFP (''IOL''), May 14, 2007.
3. [http://www.seneweb.com/news/article/10765.php "Le Conseil constitutionnel confirme définitivement la large victoire de la Coalition Sopi"], ''Le Soleil'' (Seneweb.com), June 15, 2007 {{in lang. fr.
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