Can Senegal’s electoral system truly reflect every citizen’s voice?
Dismantling the current electoral architecture
The conversation on deepening Senegal’s democratic foundations has reached a critical juncture. In a groundbreaking policy paper, Khalidou dit Mbaye Sokoma, president of the Patriotic Movement for Sustainable Development (MPPD / AND DEFAR SUNU REEW), challenges the nation to rethink its legislative election framework. His central thesis: the current system fails to translate voters’ intentions into fair representation, leaving entire communities underrepresented in national and local governance.
Where the existing system falls short
Today, Senegal’s legislative elections combine two conflicting methods: a single-round list-based majority vote and a national proportional representation system. Of the 165 seats in the National Assembly, 112 are allocated through majority voting while 53 through proportional representation on a nationwide list. Similarly, municipal elections mix 45 % majority seats with 55 % proportional seats, creating a patchwork that often obscures the true political landscape.
For Khalidou dit Mbaye Sokoma, this hybrid structure has outlived its usefulness. It distorts the link between voters and their representatives, dilutes accountability, and entrenches partisan control at the expense of local identity and community needs.
Five pillars for a more responsive democracy
From partisan lists to citizen-driven representation
Sokoma proposes replacing the current system with a full proportional representation model for both legislative and local elections. More than a seat redistribution mechanism, the reform aims to anchor elected officials in their communities. Candidates would come not only from political parties but also from grassroots movements, independent figures, and—under strict conditions—civil society organizations and public-sector experts. This shift would prioritize local roots over partisan loyalty, ensuring that leaders emerge from neighborhoods and villages rather than distant party headquarters.
Shifting the mandate: from party delegate to territorial envoy
The reform redefines the role of a deputy from “party envoy” to “territorial envoy.” Elected individuals must be clearly identifiable by their constituents and subject to regular public accountability. Political parties would retain a supportive role—training, policy development, and campaign coordination—while ceding the exclusive right to nominate candidates. The goal is to foster a parliament where every deputy answers first to the citizens who selected them, not to the party machinery that placed them on the ballot.
Stability through a second-round safeguard
At the local level—municipal and departmental—Sokoma introduces a decisive second round whenever no list secures an absolute majority (50 % + 1) in the first vote. This mechanism would prevent fragmented mandates and force competing groups to negotiate transparent alliances. A pre-emptive impact assessment would gauge administrative, legal, and financial implications to prevent disruption.
Bringing elections closer to the ground
Administrative oversight of elections could be devolved to prefects and sub-prefects within their jurisdictions, under the supervision of the national electoral authority. This decentralization of electoral management would strengthen dialogue with rural communes and urban neighborhoods, ensuring that voting procedures reflect local realities and reduce logistical bottlenecks.
Kaolack’s urban sprawl demands a tailored approach
Kaolack, Senegal’s third-largest city, sprawls across 69.6 km² and is home to 1.3 million residents (2023 census). Its complexity—45 distinct neighborhoods, diverse economic zones, and rapid population growth—calls for a bespoke solution. Sokoma recommends creating three or four municipal boroughs or district entities, aligned with demographic density, infrastructure availability, natural economic basins, tax revenue capacity, and administrative readiness. Such a reconfiguration would decentralize decision-making and bring governance directly to citizens’ doorsteps.
A democracy measured by proximity
Sokoma frames Senegal’s democratic health not by the number of seats won, but by how clearly each vote translates into representation. He urges the nation to launch a nationwide, inclusive debate—rooted in data, open to all stakeholders—to design an electoral system where every citizen, every neighborhood, and every village shapes the destiny of its representatives. Only then can Senegal claim a democracy that truly reflects and serves its people.