Opposition realignment: Maguette Sène launches the coalition “And Liggéey Gox Yi – The March of the Territories”

The mayor and member of parliament for Malicounda, Maguette Sène, officially launched a new coalition called "And Liggéey Gox Yi – La Marche des Territoires" (The March of the Territories) on Saturday in Grand Yoff, bringing together 19 political parties and movements. The ceremony, marked by a strong turnout of activists from across the country, is part of a broader movement to restructure the opposition, which is facing the parliamentary dominance of Pastef and is seeking a common framework to establish a third, alternative force to the government.

The launch brought together several opposition figures, including Anta Babacar Ngom (ARC), Thérèse Faye Diouf (APR), and Doudou Wade (PDS), alongside other personalities who came to show their support for Maguette Sène's initiative. Their presence illustrates the ongoing rapprochement between several parties not aligned with the government, each seeking to exert influence in the lead-up to the upcoming elections.

Addressing the audience, Maguette Sène presented the event as "a founding act" and "an act of collective responsibility towards history." He painted a bleak picture of the country's socio-economic situation. According to his figures, approximately three-quarters of Senegalese are under 35, one in two high school students fails the baccalaureate exam, and nearly half of young people aged 15 to 24 are unemployed, without training, and without access to education. He also mentioned a national poverty rate of around 37%, exceeding 53% in rural areas, and an informal sector that employs 90% of the workforce.

The coalition leader emphasized the country's territorial imbalance, pointing to an extreme concentration of jobs and economic opportunities in the Dakar region. "It's a model that has concentrated everything in one place," he denounced, adding that "from Tamba to Matam, our territories are watching their young people leave."

A decentralization of "resources and responsibilities"

For Maguette Sène, the solution lies in strengthening local authorities. "The central state cannot do everything," he insisted, arguing for transferring to the territories "the means to act, to decide and to produce results," accompanied by control and evaluation mechanisms.

He outlined five priorities: universal access to primary healthcare, the construction of school infrastructure adapted to each territory, access to water through the development of boreholes, the electrification of rural areas, and the economic empowerment of women, whom he described as the "engine" of local development.

A strong local presence

Maguette Sène specified that his coalition brings together, in addition to the 19 parties and movements, about ten sitting mayors, two presidents of departmental councils, and two members of parliament. He emphasized its grassroots roots, stating that the movement was "born in action."

Citing the scholar Cheikh Anta Diop, for whom Africa can become "a center of scientific initiative and decision-making" rather than a mere appendage of developed countries, and then Amadou Hampâté Bâ on the importance of keeping one's word, Maguette Sène concluded his address with a solemn declaration: the coalition is now "officially constituted and fully operational." He affirmed that it will present a united front in the 2027 local elections, with the ambition of becoming "the leading political force in the opposition." A joint program for territorial governance will be unveiled soon.