- There has been yet another party time for the ruling Sopi Coalition of President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal. Apart from winning the presidential elections in February, the party has again excelled in the 3 June legislative polls by conquering 131 out of the 150 seats.
Sopi Coalition was followed by Takku Defaar, And Defaar and War-wi. Each of these parties captured three seats while the People’s Rally secured two.
Each of the remaining contesting opposition parties, except the Patriotic Rally led by Professor Ely Madiodio Fall, secured a seat.
Senegal’s Constitutional Court had approved the legislative polls results.
The major opposition parties boycotted the polls, including Parti Socialiste which ruled Senegal for 40 years. The opposition leaders would not concede defeat of the 25 February polls, crying foul against alleged voter irregularities.
As a result, they tasked themselves with campaigning for a boycott of the 3 June legislative polls. The boycott was meant to discredit polls in one of Africa’s democratic giants.
But 14 light weight opposition parties were not convinced by the polls boycott: they fielded in candidates to challenge the ruling party.
Though the boycotting opposition parties have no voice in parliament, they are celebrating the low turn out, describing it as a victory. Of the 5,004,096 registered voters, only 1,738,675 turn up for voting, according to the Constitutional Court.
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afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
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