Senegal votes in election that will decide if president can carry out the reforms he promised [Video]

DAKAR – Polls closed in Senegal on Sunday for a parliamentary election set to determine whether the country’s newly elected president can carry out ambitious reforms.

More than 7 million registered voters in the West African country were choosing 165 lawmakers in the National Assembly, where the party of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye does not hold a majority.

Faye, who was elected in March on an anti-establishment platform, says that has blocked him from implementing the reforms he pledged during his campaign, including fighting corruption, reviewing fishing permits for foreign companies, and securing a bigger share from the country’s natural resources for the population.

In September, he dissolved the opposition-led parliament, paving the way for a snap legislative election. His party is facing the Takku Wallu opposition platform led by former President Macky Sall, alongside 39 other registered parties and coalitions.

Polls opened at 8 a.m. and closed at 6 p.m. local time. The first provisional results were expected …