Senegal Votes in Local Elections Seen as Key Test for President
- Ruling coalition aims to secure control of capital Dakar
- Speculation has been rife that president may seek third term
Macky Sall
Photographer: John Wessels/AFP/Getty Images
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Senegal holds municipal elections on Sunday that will serve as a gauge of support for President Macky Sall and his ruling coalition.
The Benno Bokk Yakaar coalition, which comprises Sall’s Alliance for the Republic, the Socialist Party and the Alliance of Forces for Progress, currently holds most of the 552 municipal seats and 125 of the 160 seats in parliament. One of its key goals will be to regain control of Dakar, the capital, which the opposition has run since 2009, and it is fielding Health Minister Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr as its mayoral candidate.