Q & AAfrica

Election Loss by Senegal’s Ruling Party Signals Dissatisfaction With Rate of Change

Election Loss by Senegal’s Ruling Party Signals Dissatisfaction With Rate of Change
Senegalese President Macky Sall in Abuja, Nigeria, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014 (AP Photo / Sunday Alamba).

In early July, Senegalese President Macky Sall named his third prime minister after his ruling Alliance for the Republic party lost last month’s local elections. In an email interview, Paul Melly, associate fellow in the Africa Programme at Chatham House, discussed Senegalese politics, the party’s future and the effectiveness of Sall’s reform program.

WPR: What was behind the ruling Alliance for the Republic party's loss in last month's local elections?

Paul Melly: The Senegalese are impatient to see real improvements in living standards and basic services such as power supply. When Sall was triumphantly elected in 2012, popular expectations for change were immense.

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