In the presidential elections in Senegal, a clear lead emerged for opposition candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye just a few hours after the polls closed.
Although no results were announced centrally on Sunday evening, counts published by observers and media from about half of the polling stations showed that the 43-year-old was mainly in the lead.
Former Prime Minister Amadou Ba in second place
The elections are groundbreaking for the West African country with its approximately 18 million inhabitants. It is about the successor to Macky Sall, who has been in power since 2012. According to the first counts, his ex-prime minister Amadou Ba (62), who had been nominated as his successor, came in second place.
If no one receives more than 50 percent of the votes in the first round, a second round will take place. A total of 19 candidates participated.
Country in political crisis
There was a week-long political crisis before the elections. Although Sall had decided not to run for a controversial third term under political pressure, he unexpectedly canceled the February 25 presidential election on February 3 due to disagreement over the endorsement of the candidates.
After protests that left four dead and weeks of interinstitutional tug-of-war, the elections ultimately took place about a month late. More than 7.3 million voters were registered. The official results are expected next week.
Source: Krone
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