Senegal political shifts as PASTEF expands and Le Grand Parti reorganizes

The political landscape in Senegal is seeing shifts in party affiliations and membership drives. In the Podor department, the PASTEF-Les Patriotes party is experiencing a surge in membership applications. Following operations in Podor and Ndioum, the party is expanding its card-selling operations to 20 other communes. To date, nearly 4,000 physical membership cards have been sold across nine communes, with high demand prompting requests for increased quotas from the national commission.

Simultaneously, the political movement known as ‘Le Grand Parti’ is restructuring following the departure of its leader, El Hadji Malick Gakou, who has joined PASTEF. Representatives from 30 departments met to decide the movement's future. The leadership, including Pape Médoune Sow, declared that Gakou’s move to join PASTEF is equivalent to his resignation from the party. While some departments have chosen to follow Gakou, the majority of the party's structures have decided to maintain their existing organization and continue their political activities without him.