Senegal’s electoral debate shifts gears after Khalidou dit Mbaye Sokoma’s bold reform push
The conversation about deepening democracy in Senegal has moved into 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, has called for a thorough rethink of the country’s voting system. The stated goal: to deliver political representation that is more faithful, closer to citizens, and rooted in the realities of local communities.
Why the current system is seen as imperfect
Today, Senegal’s legislative elections rest on a hybrid arrangement that blends a single-round majority list vote with proportional representation. Of the 165 seats in the National Assembly, 112 are filled through the majority system and 53 through proportional representation on a national list. For municipal elections, the mixed system combines 45% majority seats and 55% proportional seats.
For Khalidou dit Mbaye Sokoma, this setup has shown its limits and deserves fresh scrutiny so that the composition of assemblies mirrors as closely as possible the actual votes cast by citizens.
1. Toward stronger proportional representation and deeper local roots
One of the flagship ideas in the proposal is the introduction of a fully proportional vote for both legislative and local elections, while preserving a genuine territorial anchor.
The point is not merely to allocate seats according to parties’ electoral weight, but to rebuild the link between elected officials and their voters. To that end, candidacies should open beyond party machines alone, embracing 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 role of MPs: from party to territory
The relationship between citizen, territory and representative needs rethinking. The author stresses the need for MPs who are clearly identifiable by their constituents and required to report back regularly. Political parties would keep their supporting role, but would no longer hold a monopoly on representation: the figure of the ‘party 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 stronger proportional model would better reflect the diversity of political views within a commune. However, this opening must go hand in hand with stability of local executives. Khalidou dit Mbaye Sokoma suggests introducing a second round when no list reaches an absolute majority (50%), allowing a clear choice between competing forces, subject to a prior study of legal and financial impacts.
4. A territorialised electoral administration
To complete the framework, the local organisation of elections could rely more on prefects and sub-prefects within their respective areas, under the control of the national system and in strict respect for impartiality and equality. Such territorialisation would foster dialogue with grassroots collectivities.
5. The special case of Kaolack: toward 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 RGPH-5 of 2023), the author advocates a specific approach.
Given its urban growth and economic role, a study on creating three or four arrondissement communes or proximity municipal entities is recommended. Such a change would rest on rigorous criteria: demography, infrastructure, living basins, tax resources and administrative capacities.
In short, the quality of a democracy is measured by how clearly citizens see their vote translated into seats and can identify their spokespeople. Khalidou dit Mbaye Sokoma is therefore calling for a broad, pluralistic and well-documented national debate to give Senegal a system in which every citizen, every neighbourhood and every village truly counts in choosing the nation’s representatives.