DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegal ruling PASTEF party is poised to win a parliamentary majority as main opposition leaders conceded defeat Monday in elections determining whether newly elected President Bassirou Diomaye Faye can carry out ambitious reforms he promised during his campaign.
Former president Macky Sall, leader of the main opposition Takku Wallu coalition, congratulated PASTEF in a post on the X social media platform. Two other major opposition leaders had already conceded defeat hours after the polls closed on Sunday.
The official results and number of seats won by each party will be published later this week.
PASTEF held 56 of 165 seats in the National Assembly before Sunday’s legislative election, while Sall's coalition had a slim majority of 83 seats.
Faye, who was elected in March on an anti-establishment platform, said the lack of a majority had prevented him from executing reforms he pledged during his presidential 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.
Voting in the West African nation known for its stability was calm and peaceful despite an electoral campaign that was marked by sporadic clashes between rival supporters.
Faye, 44, became Africa’s youngest elected leader in March, less than two weeks after he was released from prison. The former tax inspector's rise has reflected widespread frustration among Senegal’s youth with the country’s direction — a common sentiment across Africa, which has the world’s youngest population and a number of leaders accused of clinging to power for decades.
Over 60% of Senegalese are under 25 and 90% work in informal jobs. Senegal has been hit by skyrocketing inflation in recent years, making life difficult for much of the population.
The country is also a major source of irregular migration to Europe, with thousands leaving every year on rickety, artisanal fishing boats in search of economic opportunities.
A woman casts her vote for legislative elections, at a polling station in Dakar, Senegal Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Annika Hammerschlag)
Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip killed eight people, including two children aged 7 and 9 and their parents, Palestinian officials said Monday.
A third child, 10 years old, was wounded in an overnight strike on a tent where displaced people were sheltering in the southern city of Khan Younis, according to the Civil Defense, first responders who operate under the Hamas-run government. An Associated Press reporter saw the children's bodies at nearby Nasser Hospital.
A separate strike early Monday killed four people, including a woman and a child, in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp, according to nearby Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
The Israeli military blames civilian deaths on Hamas, accusing militants of hiding among civilians and fighting from residential areas. It rarely comments on individual strikes, which often kill women and children.
The war began when Hamas stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 43,800 Palestinians, according to local health authorities. They do not distinguish between militants and civilians but say most of those killed are women and children. The fighting has left some 76 people dead in Israel, including 31 soldiers.
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BEIRUT — A government minister close to Hezbollah says Lebanon will convey its “positive position” on a United States-backed cease-fire proposal this week.
The Biden administration is trying to halt the war between Israel and the militant group after months of sputtering cease-fire efforts.
Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally who is mediating for the militants, is expected to meet with U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein in the Lebanese capital on Tuesday.
Labor Minister Mostafa Bayram, who met with Berri on Monday, said Hezbollah’s function “is to make sure the (Israeli) aggression fails to achieve its goals, while negotiation is for the state and the government.”
A Western diplomat familiar with the talks told The Associated Press there is a sense of “cautious optimism.”
“Diplomatic efforts are converging towards a cease-fire, but it’s still in the hands and heads of key players to decide if it’s in their interest or not to stop things right now,” said the diplomat, who was not authorized to brief media and so spoke on condition of anonymity.
The efforts are aimed at reestablishing a U.N. buffer zone in southern Lebanon established after the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. Israel is said to be pushing for guarantees it can continue to act militarily against Hezbollah if needed, a demand the Lebanese are unlikely to accept.
— By Kareem Chehayeb
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey has denied Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s plane the right to use its airspace, preventing him from traveling to Azerbaijan, the Turkish state-run news agency reported.
The Anadolu Agency report late Sunday said Israeli authorities requested permission for the plane to access the Turkish airspace on its way to Baku, Azerbaijan, where Herzog was scheduled to attend the COP29 conference on climate change.
The agency based its report on unnamed Turkish officials. It did not say when the permission was denied. A statement from Herzog's office said the decision to cancel the president's trip to Baku was due to “the situation assessment and for security reasons." It did not comment on the Turkish report.
Turkey has emerged as one of the strongest critics of Israel’s military actions in Gaza and Lebanon. It has suspended trade relations with Israel, accused the country of genocide and voiced support to Hamas.
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip have killed eight people, including two children aged 7 and 9 and their parents, Palestinian officials said. A third child, 10 years old, was wounded in the same strike.
The Civil Defense, first responders who operate under the Hamas-run government, said Monday that the two children were killed in an overnight strike on a tent where displaced people were sheltering in the southern city of Khan Younis.
An Associated Press reporter saw the bodies at nearby Nasser Hospital. The two children were beheaded by the blast and their remains were placed in one body bag.
A separate strike early Monday killed four people, including a woman and a child, in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp, according to nearby Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
The Israeli military blames civilian deaths on Hamas, accusing militants of hiding among civilians and fighting from residential areas. It rarely comments on individual strikes, which often kill women and children.
The war began when Hamas stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be dead.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 43,800 Palestinians, according to local health authorities. They do not distinguish between militants and civilians but say most of those killed are women and children.
For more Middle East news: https://apnews.com/hub/middle-east
A Lebanese policeman walks in front of destroyed shops that were hit Sunday evening by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
A woman uses her phone to record destroyed shops that were hit Sunday evening by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
A woman weeps as she passes in front of destroyed shops that were hit Sunday evening in an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
A man removes debris from his damaged car at the site where an Israeli airstrike on Sunday evening hit in central Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
People gather in front of destroyed shops that were hit Sunday evening in an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
A man watches the damage at the site where an Israeli airstrike Sunday evening hit in central Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
