Senegal's Faye chooses political gamble over parliamentary frustrations

Many reasons were given for the decision, but one stands out: The president was laying the groundwork for his government to take control of the opposition-dominated parliament, which he hopes will allow him to deliver on the promises he made to the Senegalese people during his election campaign earlier this year.

The move comes about five months after his government was sworn in following elections that saw him become Senegal's youngest leader.

During the campaign, Faye's party, the African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity (PASTEF), promised sweeping reforms aimed at improving the living standards of ordinary Senegalese, including fighting corruption and reviewing agreements with foreign investors in areas such as fishing and mining, which have a huge impact on the economy.

The president, his prime minister, Ousmane Sonko, and their supporters have repeatedly blamed opposition lawmakers for his inability to implement his policies.

One example is the delay in approving next year's budget. Parliamentary debate on the budget was suspended by the House because of disagreement with Prime Minister Sonko's refusal to present his government's policies and programmes to the House. Sonko argues that he is not obliged to do so.

The law gives the Assembly until the end of December to vote on the budget. But with the changes brought about by the elections, this could be complicated.

The dissolved parliament was the 14th legislature to be elected in 2022.

It was one of the first signs of what was to come for the then ruling Benno Bokk Yakaar coalition of former president Macky Sall, Faye's immediate predecessor. It lost its absolute majority, the first time in the country's independence history that a ruling party had lost its majority. However, it managed to come first by a narrow margin.

PASTEF won only 56 of the 165 seats in parliament. Former President Abdulaye Wade's party, which supported PASTEF, won 24 seats. But their combined 80 seats still couldn't match the influence of Benno's 82 seats.

The remaining three seats were won by smaller coalitions that acted as kingmakers.

With their slim majority, Benno's lawmakers were able to frustrate the new government's efforts to pass policy reforms.

Read: Faye victory in Senegal is the death knell to French Commonwealth

Under Senegalese law, the president has the power to dissolve parliament and call for new elections within a specified window of up to several years. This provision was created to give the president room to manoeuvre in a situation where he doesn't have control over parliament and doesn't have the cooperation of the house.

On this basis, there is no doubt that Faye's move is legal. However, the opposition has questioned the president's intentions, as the House has attempted to censor the government led by Prime Minister Sonko over his refusal to appear before lawmakers and outline his government's programme.

Former Prime Minister and Faye's main challenger in the presidential race, Amadu Ba's party, condemned the move. In a statement, it acknowledged the legality of the decision but said the process was morally wrong.

Calling a snap election is a huge gamble for the president. The outcome of the vote will be a referendum on his government.

Who is likely to win a majority of seats when Senegalese go to the polls in November depends on who you talk to among the experts.

But judging by discussions among ordinary citizens, public opinion seems to be in favour of the ruling party. This is because anger at the previous administration is still fresh, particularly over the impact of corruption.

About a week before the dissolution of parliament was announced on September 12, Sonko had hinted at it.

In a statement shared via video on social media, he made a number of accusations against opposition members of parliament.

Many Senegalese also want people accused of stealing public funds to be held accountable, not just to pay back the money, as some are reportedly already doing.

Last week, it was reported that an unnamed former minister in Sall's administration had agreed to avoid legal proceedings by paying back money that recent audit reports said he had embezzled.

Several former officials have been banned from leaving the country pending investigations into their records in government. The public is eager to see the outcome of all this, but opposition lawmakers have been successfully portrayed as working against it.

The March presidential election was a major test of Senegal's reputation as one of the few stable democracies in West Africa, a region that has been rocked by instability fuelled in part by bad governance.

Both Faye and Sonko were released from prison less than two weeks before the vote, as part of a presidential amnesty agreed with the opposition at the time to calm the situation.

The country had been plunged into violence, fuelled in part by the arrests of the two men. They were arrested because of their opposition to Sall's alleged plan to extend his stay in power by running for a third term, in contravention of the constitution.

Dozens of protesters, mainly young people, were killed and many more detained.

The security forces' response to the unrest is still fresh in the minds of Senegalese, who want to see those responsible for rights abuses brought to justice.

But the opposition seems determined to give the government a run for its money in the November elections. They have formed a coalition calling for reforms to the electoral process. According to media reports, the Alliance for Transparency in Elections brings together 70 political parties that have pledged to work together to ensure a fair election process.

Given the names in this coalition, including Amadu Ba, former Prime Minister Idrissa Seck and former Dakar Mayor Khalifa Sall, this could be the beginning of another coalition with the potential to upset the current establishment in the planned elections.

Ba's party, in its statement on the announcement of snap elections, called on Senegalese to ensure that they usher in a parliament that guarantees a balance of power.

And in their joint statement, the coalition condemned the lack of consultation by the Faye government since taking power.

"We note with deep regret that since the presidential election, no consultation has been initiated to date. However, it is imperative and urgent that this be done," it said.

"The Constitution requires the involvement of all stakeholders.”