Senegal’s debate on deepening democracy has entered a new phase. In a widely discussed contribution, Khalidou dit Mbaye Sokoma, president of the Mouvement Patriotique pour un Développement Durable (MPPD) / AND DEFAR SUNU REEW, is calling for a fundamental rethink of the country’s electoral system. The stated aim: to ensure political representation that is more faithful, closer to citizens, and rooted in the realities of local communities.
The current system and its shortcomings
Senegal’s legislative elections currently rest on a hybrid architecture that combines a single-round majority list vote with proportional representation. Of the 165 seats in the National Assembly, 112 are filled through the majority vote and 53 through proportional representation on a national list. Similarly, for municipal elections, the mixed system allocates 45% of seats by majority and 55% proportionally.
For Khalidou dit Mbaye Sokoma, this system has shown its limits and deserves re-examination so that the composition of assemblies reflects as closely as possible the actual votes cast by citizens.
1. Towards full proportional representation with stronger local roots
One of the flagship proposals is the introduction of a fully proportional vote for both legislative and local elections, while preserving genuine territorial anchoring.
The point is not merely to distribute seats according to parties’ electoral weight, but to rebuild the link between elected officials and their constituents. To that end, candidacies should open beyond party machines alone, encompassing citizens’ movements, independent candidates, and—under strict conditions—civil society and competent state services. Nominations would thus take root in the heart of neighbourhoods and villages, rewarding local presence and popular trust.
2. Redefining the MP’s status: from party to territory
The relationship between citizen, territory, and representative must be rethought. The author stresses the need for MPs who are clearly identifiable by their constituents and required to report back regularly. Political parties would retain their supporting role but would no longer hold a monopoly on representation: the figure of the “party’s MP” would give way to that of the “MP chosen by citizens and carried by a territory.”
3. Stabilising and clarifying the local vote
Applied to municipal and departmental elections, this strengthening of proportional representation would better reflect the diversity of political sensibilities within a commune. However, this openness must go hand in hand with the stability of local executives. Khalidou dit Mbaye Sokoma suggests introducing a second round when no list reaches an absolute majority of votes (50%), allowing a clear decision between competing forces, subject to a prior study of legal and financial impacts.
4. A territorialised electoral administration
To complete the mechanism, the local organisation of elections could rely more on prefects and sub-prefects within their respective jurisdictions, under the control of the national body and in strict respect for impartiality and equality. Such territorialisation would foster dialogue with grassroots communities.
5. The specific case of Kaolack: towards a new local organisation
Regarding Kaolack, a city spanning nearly 6,959 hectares (69.6 km²), structured into 45 neighbourhoods and home to a considerable population (1,336,720 inhabitants according to the 2023 RGPH-5 census), the author advocates a specific approach.
Given its urban growth and economic role, a study on creating three or four arrondissement communes or local municipal entities is recommended. Such a change would be based on rigorous criteria: demography, infrastructure, living areas, fiscal resources, and administrative capacities.
In sum, the quality of a democracy is measured by the clarity with which citizens perceive how their vote translates into seats and identify their representatives. Khalidou dit Mbaye Sokoma thus calls for the opening of a broad, pluralistic, and well-documented national debate to give Senegal a system in which every citizen, every neighbourhood, and every village truly weighs in the designation of the nation’s representatives.
