Bombay Durpun - Senegal counts votes as new leaders eye parliamentary win

Voting took place peacefully across the West African country, and reliable projections of the new parliament's makeup could be available from Monday morning.

Tallying started shortly after a polling station in the capital Dakar closed at 6:00 pm (1800 GMT), an AFP journalist saw.

The governing Pastef party of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye is the favourite to win.

It has emerged as the vote winner in most of the first polling stations to give their provisional results, according to media reports, beating the two main opposition parties.

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.

"I hope that Pastef will win the elections to gain a majority so that they can better carry out their mandate," said Pascal Goudiaby, a 56-year-old voter in Dakar.

"The priority is unemployment, young people are facing so much unemployment," he said.

Faye appointed his firebrand mentor Ousmane Sonko as prime minister. Sonko's own bid to run for president had been blocked following a three-year deadly standoff with the former authorities.

The pair promised a leftist pan-African agenda, vowing to diversify political and economic partnerships, review hydrocarbon and fishing contracts and re-establish Senegal's sovereignty, which they claimed had been sold abroad.

Mademba Ndiaye, a 20-year-old student, was voting for the first time.

"It's one of the only ways we can really have an impact on society, and I think that if we don't vote, we couldn't really complain about what happens in society afterwards," he said.

Various actors reported that the turnout on Sunday was typically lower than in the presidential election.

- 'No room for violence' -

Senegal's roughly 7.3 million registered voters were called to elect 165 MPs for five-year terms.

Voters have historically confirmed their presidential choice during parliamentary elections, say analysts.

"We want life to be less expensive for the Senegalese," she added. "Everything's expensive: water, electricity, food."

Voters continued a long democratic tradition in Senegal, widely seen as a stable outlier in a coup-plagued region.

Faye and Sonko both called for calm as they cast their ballots.

Reminiscent of his years as a fiery opposition leader, he had called for vengeance after attacks against his supporters, but later urged restraint.

Clashes were only sporadic in the run-up to the vote. Although some agreements have been reached between coalitions, the opposition remains fragmented.

- Bleak picture -

Former president Macky Sall is leading an opposition grouping from abroad called Takku Wallu Senegal. On Sunday it claimed the vote was marred by "massive fraud organised by Pastef", without providing details.

Sall left power in April after triggering one of the worst crises in decades with a last-minute postponement of the presidential election.

Former prime minister and presidential runner-up Amadou Ba and Dakar's mayor Barthelemy Dias are also heading coalitions.

The opposition has 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 continue to risk their lives every month attempting to reach Europe by boat.

The government said an audit of public finances revealed a wider budget deficit than previously announced.

Moody's downgraded Senegal's credit rating and placed the country under observation.

The new authorities have lowered the price of household goods such as rice, oil and sugar and launched a series of reviews.

They also launched justice system reform and presented an ambitious 25-year development plan aimed at transforming the economy and public policy.

F.Mahajan--BD