Chamber:
	Assemblée nationale
Dates of elections / renewal (from/to):
	24 May 1998
Purpose of elections:
	Elections were held for all the seats in the National Assembly on the normal expiry of the members' term of office.
Background and outcome of elections:
	The 1998 parliamentary elections were primarily a three-way contest between the ruling Socialist Party (PS) of President of the Republic Abdou Diouf, the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS) and the Renewal Movement (MR). The last group, founded in March 1998 by PS dissidents led by Mr. Djibo Ka, a former Minister, was the major component of the Union for Democratic Renewal (URD). Altogether 18 parties or coalitions fielded candidates for the expanded National Assembly’s 140 seats (up from 120), this large number somewhat reflecting a divided opposition. The campaign was generally peaceful except for incidents in the southern separatist province of Casamance, where rebel clashes with the army led to a number of deaths. Economic issues were at the forefront of the debates, with the PS pointing to steady economic growth and the opposition emphasizing lingering negative aspects such as unemployment. For the first time, polling was to be supervised by the newly established National Elections Watch (Observatoire national des élections) in an advisory role. On election day, the low voter turnout was partly attributed by analysts to a disillusioned electorate offered little clear-cut choices in policy by the contending parties. As incoming results indicated another PS victory, both PDS leader Abdoulaye Wade and Mr. Ka, inter alia, alleged fraudulent Socialist practices before and during the vote and lodged an appeal with the Constitutional Court. The PS and its First Secretary, Mr. Ousmane Tanor Dieng, countered by likewise alleging irregular and obstructionist practices. For their part, international observers from the European Union and other African countries deemed the procedures generally free and fair. The final outcome gave the PS - in power since independence in 1960 - an absolute majority of 93 seats to 23 for the PDS, which thus preserved its runner-up position. On 4 July, Prime Minister Mamadou Lamine Loum (PS) formed the new Government by reshuffling the previous Council of Ministers.

STATISTICS

Round no 1 (24 May 1998): Elections results
Number of registered electors	3,164,827
Voters	1,243,026 (39.2%)
Blank or invalid ballot papers	13,903
Valid votes	1,229,123

Round no 1: Distribution of votes
Political Group	%
Socialist Party (PS)	50.19
Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS)	19.12
Union for Democratic Renewal (URD)	13.22
And-Jëf (AJ-PADS)	4.97
Democratic League-Labour Party Movement (LD-MPT)	3.94
Others	8.56

Round no 1: Distribution of seats
Political Group	Total
Socialist Party (PS)	93
Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS)	23
Union for Democratic Renewal (URD)	11
And-Jëf (AJ-PADS)	4
Democratic League-Labour Party Movement (LD-MPT)	3
Others	6

Distribution of seats according to sex:
Men:	123
Women:	17