15 vie for Senegal’s legislative polls
April 11, 2007
afrol News, 10 April - At
least 15 political parties have officialised their intentions to
contest in Senegal’s 3 June legislative polls by forwarding their lists
of candidates to the Interior Ministry which has three days to approve
or disapprove them.
Already the polls
have become sour by the confirmed boycott of the main opposition
parties, including those of the key contenders of President Abdoulaye
Wade in the 25 February polls.
Officials of Mr Idrissa Seck’s Rewmi, Pari Socialiste and AFP, said
their boycott was necessitated by President Wade’s alleged rigging of
the polls, although they were declared free, fair and transparent by
the international observers and authenticated by the constitutional
court in Senegal.
The boycotting opposition parties control more than 40 percent of the
votes in the last Presidential polls, which is why the boycott is
expected to discredit the legislative polls.
The angry opposition parties said they can take part in the 3 June
polls only if the electoral roll has been cleansed and the replacement
of the autonomous electoral commission by an independent national
electoral commission because the former allowed voting process to be
rigged in favour of the ruling Parti Democratic Senegalaise (PDS) of Mr
Wade.
Opposition leaders have also asked President Wade to sack the Interior
Minister, Ousmane Ngom, whose office organised the last elections.
Their other demands had to do with the cancellation of the demarcation
of the constituencies, which they alleged, was done to favour PDS.
President Wade turned a deaf ear to the opposition complaints. His
party is expected to continue its winning spree during the 3 June
legislative polls.
Senegal postponed the legislative polls which was should have taken
place side by side with the 25 February Presidential polls. It was
first postponed in 2005 following a massive destruction by flood in the
country.
At the time, President Wade argued that instead of organising
elections, his government opted to raise funds for the flood victims
whose compounds had been invaded by waters.
By staff writer
© afrol News
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