General elections were held in
Senegal on 26 February 1978 to elect a
President and
National Assembly. Following a constitutional amendment in 1976,[1] the elections were open to more than one party for the first time since
1963. President
Léopold Sédar Senghor of the
Socialist Party (formerly the Senegalese Progressive Union) was challenged by
Abdoulaye Wade of the
Senegalese Democratic Party, but won with 82% of the vote.[2] Members of the National Assembly were elected by
closed-list proportional representation. In the National Assembly election, the Socialist Party won 82 of the 100 seats.[1] Voter turnout was 63% in the presidential election and 63% in the parliamentary election.[3]