Senegal votes in a tightly contested presidential race after months of unrest
DAKAR, Senegal — Senegalese voted Sunday in a tightly contested presidential race following months of uncertainty and unrest that has tested the West African nation’s reputation as a stable democracy in a region shaken by a wave of coups in recent years.
The election comes after President Macky Sall unsuccessfully tried to postpone the Feb. 25 vote until the end of the year, sparking violent protests. Sall is barred by the constitution from seeking a third term. As a result, the vote is taking place during Ramadan, the holy month when observant Muslims fast from dawn until dusk.
Vote counting began in the early evening in a tense atmosphere in some parts of the country. In St. Louis, a major fishing town, a crowd booed and threw stones at a government delegation that entered a polling station after the polls closed.
Observers said turnout among the more than 7 million registered voters appeared to be high in the morning, though more precise figures would be available later Sunday. Babacar Gueye, who heads Senegal’s COSCE civil society network of observers, said participation was important to give the election legitimacy.
“At the opening of polling stations today, I have never in the past 15 years seen so many people going to vote,” he said.
Lines formed outside polling stations around the capital Dakar. Roads were quiet as the nation’s elite police force was deployed across the city in armored vehicles, checking voters’ cards. Official results are expected next week, but the leading candidates said they would know first results Sunday night.
In the run-up to Sunday’s election, opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was released from prison last week, triggering jubilant celebrations on the streets of Dakar and renewed excitement about the contest. Sonko was barred from running due to a prior conviction for defamation, and is backing his key ally Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who was also freed from prison last week