Senegal ruling party claims victory in legislative elections

Senegal President Macky Sall's ruling coalition says it won 30 of the country's 46 administrative departments, giving it a majority in parliament following Sunday's legislative election.

Sunday's polls were an important test for Sall after local elections in March saw the opposition win in major cities, including Dakar, Ziguinchor in the south and Thies in the west. (AFP)

President Macky Sall's ruling coalition claimed victory in Senegal's legislative elections but the opposition rejected the assertion as a "prefabricated majority".

"We won 30 departments" out of the 46 in the west African country and overseas constituencies, Aminata Toure, head of the presidential coalition, told reporters late on Sunday.

"This undoubtedly gives us a majority in the National Assembly."

"We have given a majority in the National Assembly to our coalition president", Sall, she added, without giving the number of seats won by her camp or whether it was an absolute or relative majority.

Toure however acknowledged her coalition had been defeated in the capital Dakar in Sunday's vote.

The opposition was swift in rejecting Toure's claims.

Barthelemy Dias, a leader of the main opposition coalition headed by former presidential candidate Ousmane Sonko, spoke of "vulgar lies" and a "prefabricated majority" on private radio RFM.

The opposition had hoped the elections would impose a cohabitation, or divided government, on Sall and curb any ambitions he may have for a third term.

READ MORE: Senegalese voters head to polls in parliamentary elections

Senegal's opposition warns that people will take streets after President Macky Sall's ruling coalition wins a majority in parliament pic.twitter.com/5uvQp1wDfr

— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) August 1, 2022

Opposition collaboration

Some seven million Senegalese were eligible to vote in the election, which passed without any major incidents.

Turnout at several polling stations appeared relatively low, according to AFP news agency correspondents and observers, and the interior ministry said participation had reached 22 percent by 1 pm.

Provisional overall results are expected no later than Friday.

The national election commission has deployed 22,000 observers nationwide. Experts from the regional ECOWAS bloc were also present.

This year, eight coalitions were in the running, including Yewwi Askan Wi ("Liberate the People" in Wolof), the main opposition coalition of Sonko, which came third in the 2019 presidential election.

Ahead of the poll, Yewwi Askan Wi joined forces with Wallu Senegal ("Save Senegal"), led by former president Abdoulaye Wade.

The two groups agreed to work together to obtain a parliamentary majority and "force governmental cohabitation".

READ MORE: Senegal's president wins second term

READ MORE: Senegal launches military operation against rebels in south

Source: AFP

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Ruling coalition boycotts Supreme Court's proceedings

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari (L), JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman (R) PML-N stalwart Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (C) addressing a press conference after Supreme Court's hearing on July 25, 2022. — Screengrab Geo News

ISLAMABAD:  The Pakistan Democratic Movement's (PDM) leadership Monday announced that the ruling coalition has decided to boycott the Supreme Court's proceedings after the apex court  announced to continue the hearing on the case pertaining to the Punjab chief minister's election with the current three-member bench.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan rejected the petition seeking the formation of a full bench for hearing the case of the Punjab chief minister’s election — where Hamza Shahbaz defeated Pervez Elahi.

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, while addressing a press conference at the Prime Minister’s House,  said if the Supreme Court doesn’t form a full court, “then we [PDM] will also reject all decisions of the judiciary as we will not appear before this three-members bench.”

“We boycott the proceedings of the apex court,” Fazl announced, adding that the coalition government doesn't want any institution to interfere in its matters.

Fazl, who is also the chief of PDM, said that the counsellors of the government alliance advised the jury according to the constitution; however, the top court “instead impartially considering our demand rejected our petition.”

Endorsing Fazl's statement, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs and PPP Co-Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said  PPP along with all other alliance parties of PDM has decided to boycott the court proceedings. He said that when a decision is being taken about an institution then the entire bench should hear the case.

‘This is Supreme Court’s test’

PML-N senior leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that this is the “test of the Supreme Court now”. He further added that the PDM had warned that if the decision is taken by a full court, then only it will be accepted by the people of Pakistan.

Abbasi said the three judges of the existing bench had the responsibility to decide whether or not history would accept their conduct.

It should be noted that adjourning the hearing till 11:30 am tomorrow, the court announced that a three-member bench — headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, and comprising Justice Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar — will hear the petition filed by the PML-Q and PTI regarding the Hamza Shahbaz being elected as the chief minister of Punjab.

The press conference followed a huddle of the government leaders at the Prime Minister's House after the verdict was announced.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, JUI-F chief Fazl, and PPP chairman were among the senior political leaders and government figures in attendance

Leaders of the MQM-P, members of ANP, BAP, BNP and other government-allied parties are also present at the huddle, along with other senior PML-N figures.

Source https://www.globalcourant.com/ruling-coalition-boycotts-supreme-courts-proceedings/?feed_id=2054&_unique_id=62df0613b37ad

PTI stages nationwide protests against PA Dpty Speaker ruling

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyhlkDkDWcg[/embed]

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers protested across the country late Friday night against the ruling of the Punjab Assembly's deputy speaker that helped Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's (PML-N) candidate to retain his chief ministership of the province.

Disappointed with what happened during the run-off election in the provincial assembly's session on Friday, Chairman PTI Imran Khan gave the protest call in his late-night speech. The PTI chief said he was "in a state of shock" to see the incidents in the Punjab Assembly during the run-off election.

Imran Khan said that Article 63A of the Constitution states that it is the head of the parliamentary party, whose decision is binding on the members to vote.

Responding to his call, the PTI workers took to roads and streets in different cities and staged protest demonstrations. The PTI activists and supporters gathered in Islamabad at D Chowk and F9 Park and Lahore's Liberty Chowk and Karachi's Shahra-e-Faisal.

The demonstration of the PTI workers caused massive traffic jams from the nursery to the Baloch Colony Bridge owing to the road closure. The protest demonstrations were staged in other areas of the metropolis including Teen Talwar.

Peshawar's Hashtnagari also witnessed protests where the PTI workers set tires on fire to block the road for traffic. They raised slogans against the election of the Chief Minister of Punjab.

Protest rallies were also taken out at Chandni Chowk in Rawalpindi, Manan Chowk in Quetta, Ghanta Ghar Chowk in Faisalabad and Sialkot. Similar protests were held in other cities including Gujranwala, Gujrat, Faisalabad and Multan. 

In Hyderabad, the situation turned volatile when the workers of the PPP and PTI came face to face while shouting out slogans at Hyder Chowk. Police resorted to baton-charge to break up the confrontation. 

Friday's Dramatic PA session

In Friday's dramatic session of the Punjab Assembly, Mazari announced the win for Hamza Shahbaz. After waving a letter from PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain who disallowed the party's members to take part in the vote, he cited Article 63A of the Constitution and rejected ten votes cast by PML-Q lawmakers.

The deputy speaker's ruling frustrated the bid of Pervez Elahi to become the Punjab CM. He was the PTI's candidate for the chief ministership. Having bagged 186 votes against Hamza's 179, Elahi lost the contest as his own party's ten votes were declared invalid.

Challenging the deputy speaker's ruling, PTI leader Raja Basharat said Shujaat is not authorised to take such a decision for his party under Article 63A as Sajid Bhatti is PML-Q's parliamentary leader.

Source https://www.globalcourant.com/pti-stages-nationwide-protests-against-pa-dpty-speaker-ruling/?feed_id=468&_unique_id=62db34c72a3dc

PTI, PML-Q move SC against deputy speaker ruling

The PTI's workers gather at the SC's Lahore Registry late Friday night. Photo: Twitter

The leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) have moved the Supreme Court of Pakistan against the ruling of the Punjab Assembly's deputy speaker that paved the way for Hamza Shahbaz to retain his post of the chief minister of the province.

The PTI and PML-Q leaders reached the SC's Lahore Registry late Friday and filed a petition against the ruling of Punjab Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari.

In Friday's dramatic session of the Punjab Assembly, Mazari announced the win for Hamza Shahbaz. After waving a letter from PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain who disallowed the party's members to take part in the vote, he cited Article 63A of the Constitution and rejected ten votes cast by PML-Q lawmakers.

The deputy speaker's ruling frustrated the bid of Pervez Elahi to become the Punjab CM. He was the PTI's candidate for the chief ministership. Having bagged 186 votes against Hamza's 179, Elahi lost the contest as his own party's ten votes were declared invalid.

Challenging the deputy speaker's ruling, PTI leader Raja Basharat said Shujaat is not authorised to take such a decision for his party under Article 63A as Sajid Bhatti is PML-Q's parliamentary leader.

Following the election, the PTI's and PML-Q's parliamentary parties discussed Mazari’s ruling and decided to challenge it in court the same day. Later, they reached the apex court's Lahore registry and submitted their petition.

Earlier, Deputy registrar SC Lahore registry Ijaz Goraya reached the court and received their  application.

Source https://www.globalcourant.com/pti-pml-q-move-sc-against-deputy-speaker-ruling/?feed_id=426&_unique_id=62db2654ccf92