Voters in headed to the polls on Sunday to elect a new president, after the conclusion of incumbent President Macky Sall’s second term.
Sall is not competing in this race, which is taking place despite his until December. His ruling coalition has endorsed former prime minister Amadou Ba.
Meanwhile, popular opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, due to a defamation conviction, is backing former tax inspector Bassirou Diomaye Faye.
Should none of the running secure over 50% of the votes, a runoff round will be held.
On Sunday, Sall warned the candidates against claiming victory prematurely.
“It is neither up to a candidate, nor to a (political) camp to proclaim victory or results,” the outgoing president said after casting his vote in Fatick.
“It is the polling stations that will speak,” he added.
Results are expected to be announced next week.
Sall’s shaken popularity
Sall’s largely smooth tenure, stretching since 2012, has recently been muddied by his decision to delay the vote, due to take place last month.
He initially wanted to , effectively extending his term.
However, the Senegalese Constitutional Council and said arranging the vote for a date after his mandate expires on April 2 would be unconstitutional.
It forced him to reset the date to March 24, during the Muslim fasting month of .
Sall’s attempted postponement , a recently recurring scene in a country often seen as a rare case of stable democracy in West Africa, where coups are common.
The episode of violence, ongoing since 2021, has been mostly triggered by the standoff between the ruling administration and Sonko.
Sonko, who had long been seen as the main opponent of President Macky Sall, was last summer after a court found him guilty for “corrupting youth.”
His sentencing triggered , with supporters, often young people, taking to the streets across the country and facing off with security officers.
Sonko was last week ahead of the country’s presidential contest.
zc, rmt/wd (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)
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