Senegal's ruling party is heading for an overwhelming victory in weekend legislative polls, according to media projections Monday, paving the way for it to deliver the promise of ambitious reform that swept it to power eight months ago.
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye's Pastef party was on track to take around three quarters of the seats in the West African country's parliament, according to projections based on provisional partial results.
Faye's fiery Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, who was still in prison eight months ago, has been largely credited with the projected landslide which would hand Pastef the means to implement its radical agenda.
The new government must address the expectations of the hard-up Senegalese population, after promising profound change in the form of leftist pan-Africanism.
Faye secured victory in March pledging economic transformation, social justice and a fight against corruption -– raising hopes among a largely youthful population facing high inflation and widespread unemployment.
But an opposition-led parliament hampered the government's first months in power, prompting Faye to dissolve the chamber in September and call snap elections as soon as the constitution allowed him to do so.
"The priority is to change policies so that they have an impact on the household shopping basket," said El Hadji Mamadou Mbaye, a political science lecturer and researcher at the University of Saint-Louis.
Faye and Sonko have vowed to diversify political and economic partnerships, review hydrocarbon and fishing contracts and re-establish Senegal's sovereignty, which they claimed had been sold abroad.
From now on, the pair and their Pastef party "have everything to work with", Mbaye said.
Pastef was projected to get from 119 to 131 seats in the 165-member parliament, according to estimates from various media.
Electoral bodies have until late Tuesday to publish the official provisional results at departmental level.
- Tasks ahead -
Although some agreements had been reached between coalitions, the opposition remained fragmented in the legislative vote.
Sonko's longtime political foe, former president Macky Sall, ran the Takku Wallu Senegal grouping from abroad.
On Monday, he congratulated Pastef on its "victory" in a post on X.
Takku Wallu Senegal is expected to win around 15 parliamentary seats, according to various media projections.
The opposition had accused the new government of inaction, amateurism and a desire to settle scores with the previous administration.
Unemployment stands at more than 20 percent and scores of people continue to risk their lives every month attempting to reach Europe by boat.
The government has said an audit of public finances revealed a wider budget deficit than previously announced.
The opposition accuses Sonko of saying a lot but doing little since being in office.
Sonko has argued that he and Faye inherited a difficult legacy from the former administration and faced resistance to their ambitious reforms.
- Sonko influence -
Faye appointed his firebrand mentor as prime minister after Sonko's own bid to run for president was blocked following a three-year deadly standoff with Sall.
Even more than before, "it is Ousmane Sonko who will continue to dictate the way the country is run", said political science lecturer Mbaye.
He said the prime minister could have even more influence than the head of state, despite a system that is considered hyper-presidential.
The president "only has the legitimacy of being president thanks to Sonko", Mbaye added.
Sonko's endorsement of Faye was pivotal in the election of the new president.
Senegalese voters have historically confirmed their presidential choice during parliamentary elections, analysts say.
"I think that whoever you gave your confidence to in the presidential election, you need to renew your confidence in him so that he can achieve what he started," said 56-year-old voter Toure Aby.
"We want life to be less expensive for the Senegalese," she added. "Everything's expensive: water, electricity, food," she added before casting her vote on Sunday.
By Alice Chancellor