Senegal ex-presidents Macky Sall and Abdoulaye Wade have joined forces to create a coalition for a snap legislative election on November 17, which could pose a significant challenge to the newly elected President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.
Sall’s Alliance for the Republic party (APR) and Wade’s Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS) recently announced their unexpected alliance. Together, they hold 106 of the 165 seats in the outgoing National Assembly.
Since assuming office, President Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko have initiated financial audits of the previous administration, imposed travel bans on certain former officials, and appointed mostly party officials to key positions, leading to a rift with some former allies.
The collaboration between APR and PDS has the potential to disrupt Faye’s efforts to secure a majority for his Pastef party and impede his pledged reforms. This could further destabilise Senegal’s political landscape and prompt unrest.
President Faye dissolved the parliament on September 12, two years into its five-year term, citing difficulties in working with the assembly after the opposition refused to pass executive bills.
In a joint statement, the APR and PDS expressed their coalition’s openness to allies and other political parties to ensure a significant victory in the legislative vote.
The APR also announced that former Prime Minister Idrissa Seck, a multiple-time presidential candidate, would join the coalition.
During the 2022 legislative election, the Pastef party contested under the opposition Yewwi Askan Wi coalition and obtained 56 seats. It will run independently in the upcoming poll.