Senegalese yesterday anxiously awaited the results of a presidential election, following months of uncertainty and unrest that tested the nation’s reputation as a stable democracy in a region rife with coups.
The vote on Sunday was largely peaceful with a high turnout, observers said. Results from polling stations that had completed counting were posted overnight on social media, with official announcements expected later this week.
More than 7 million people were registered to vote in a nation of about 17 million. To win in the first round, a candidate must gain more than 50 percent or it goes to a runoff.
Photo: Reuters
Analysts say a second round is likely, between opposition candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye and former Senegalese prime minister Amadou Ba, the ruling party’s candidate.
Some opposition supporters on Sunday night were adamant their candidate had already won. In the capital, Dakar, some people sat on car rooftops chanting, while others carried flags, banners and set off fireworks, saying Faye would win outright.
“The news is circulating ... there will be no second round,” said Dime Jueye, a local vendor.
It is Senegal’s fourth democratic transfer of power since gaining independence from France more than six decades ago.
After the polls closed, voters praised the peaceful outcome amid concerns after months of deadly protests ignited last summer by the jailing of the popular opposition leader Ousmane Sonko. Rights groups said dozens were killed.
In a move that defused tensions just ahead of the election, Sonko was released after months in prison along with Faye, to celebrations on the streets of Dakar.
Sonko was barred from the race in January due to a prior conviction and Faye ran in his place.
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