Who to bring the voice of some 500,000 Senegalese from abroad to the National Assembly? In France, Senegalese political parties are preparing for the July 31 legislative elections. Objective: to mobilize this electorate which has between 60,000 and 64,000 registered voters. Since 2017, the diaspora has been considered the “fifteenth” region of Senegal. For these elections, it allows the election of 15 deputies (out of 167 seats), including two representatives for France.
Whether they are from the opposition or the presidential majority, the executives of political parties multiply gala evenings, door-to-door with the Senegalese community, especially in homes. Their goal: to refine their program and listen to voters.
” We know that with the difficulties, all the Senegalese who, for example, sometimes take makeshift ferries to get here, they do not do it with lightheartedness, explains Alioune Sall, the coordinator of Pastef les Patriotes in France. The idea is not necessarily to provide answers right away, in any case satisfactory answers. But at least that they feel a presence of the Senegalese authorities so that they can at least listen to their needs. »
Offices in major cities
On the presidential majority side, the focus is on the head of state’s record. Among the voters targeted during these meetings, the elderly. Abdou Fleur, coordinator of the Alliance for the Republic (APR) in Essonne: ” For older people, it’s more retirement issues. Our fathers and our mothers who are here in France and who are retiring have the obligation to return fairly regularly to France to be able to receive their pension. »
The campaign for the legislative elections officially starts on July 10. One of the challenges will also be to mobilize voters scattered throughout France and encourage them to go to the few polling stations set up in the main provincial towns, such as Orléans, Nantes or even Mantes-la-Jolie and the Porte de la Villette for the Paris region.
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