The opposition leader, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, has emerged as the frontrunner to win Senegal’s presidential election, following the concession of several rivals.
Millions participated in a peaceful election on Sunday, following three years of unrest and opposition protests against the incumbent, Macky Sall. Voters had a selection of 17 candidates to choose from.
However, the ruling coalition’s candidate, Amadou Ba, dismissed reports of defeat and stated his expectation to compete in a run-off vote to determine the winner.
Mr. Faye, aged 44, a prominent figure in the Pastef party led by Ousmane Sonko, had been recently released from jail just days before the election. Mr. Sonko was disqualified from the race due to a defamation conviction.
The initial vote tallies announced on television indicated that Mr. Faye had secured the majority of votes, prompting widespread street celebrations in the capital Dakar. Supporters celebrated by setting off fireworks, waving Senegalese flags, and blowing vuvuzelas.
Additionally, the election results led to five opposition candidates acknowledging Mr. Faye as the victor. Anta Babacar Ngom, the sole female candidate, expressed her well-wishes for Mr. Faye’s success in a statement.
It remains unclear how many of the 15,633 polling stations have been counted thus far, with final provisional results anticipated by Tuesday.
Mr. Sonko endorsed Mr. Faye, his co-founder in the now-dissolved Pastef party, who was also detained nearly a year ago on charges including defamation and contempt of court.
Their release shortly before the election was facilitated by an amnesty law passed earlier in the month. Campaigning under the slogan “Diomaye is Sonko,” they garnered support from various high-profile politicians and opposition candidates.
“The population is choosing between continuation and rupture,” Mr Faye said after casting his vote, urging contenders to accept the winner.
Prepare for run-off
For the first time in Senegal’s history, Mr. Sall, the incumbent, was not listed on the ballot. Instead, his ruling coalition selected Mr. Ba, aged 62, a former prime minister.
According to Mr. Ba’s campaign, “based on the feedback of the results from our team of experts, we are confident that, at worst, we will proceed to a run-off.”
Approximately 7.3 million individuals were registered to vote in the country, which has a population of around 18 million.
The election was originally scheduled to take place last month but was postponed by Mr. Sall, sparking deadly protests by the opposition.
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