SenegalDecides: Jubilations in Dakar over opposition candidate Faye’s ‘early lead’

Street celebrations have greeted opposition candidate Bassirou Faye’s strong showing in Sunday’s presidential election.

Results of many polling stations across the country which have been released so far show that the candidate of PASTEF who was only released some ten days before the election is leading, prompting analysts to dismiss fears that a run-off is in the offing.

There has, however, been no official announcement of collated results.

The elections were initially thought to be too close to call but as Mr Faye continues to rack up an impressive lead from polling units, the possibility that he may end up with at least 50 per cent of the votes cast seems reasonable.

Over 70 million registered voters were expected to cast their votes on Sunday in a crowded field of candidates that included the former prime minister and anointed candidate of incumbent president Macky Sall, Amadou Ba, and 16 others, but the figure of those who turned out to vote was decidedly less. In most polling stations, less than half of the registered voters turned out to vote.

Part of the reason included the fact that elections were happening in the holy month of Ramadan in this mostly Muslim country and the idea of rowdy campaigns was not palatable to clerics whose objections were vetoed by the nation’s Constitutional Council.

The confusion over the date of the election, which was supposed to happen on 25 February until President Sall postponed it, also led to a precipitous arrangement which cut down time on campaigns and other activities.

In all the polling booths, the voter education materials posted on walls, including the original statement by President Sall on the election, bore the 25 February date.

Mr Faye has benefited immensely from the support of the nation’s most popular opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko, who was banned from participating in the elections over charges of molestation, rape and public incitement which he had always insisted were politically motivated.

Mr Sonko did the next best thing by giving his full support to the former Secretary General and co-founder of his party, PASTEF. In a campaign that has proved quite successful, the opposition has told its supporters that a vote for Diomaye Faye was a vote for their beloved Sonko, simplified as “Diomaye = Sonko.”

It was the first time that an incumbent was not on the ballot in Senegal’s history and the fact that the main opposition leader was also not a contestant helped to ease the process along.

The elections have been peaceful and fair and the head of the ECOWAS 130-member election observation mission to the presidential election in Senegal, Ibrahim Gambari, has praised the conduct of the polls.

The former Nigerian foreign minister led the delegation to observe the electoral processes at some polling units in the capital Dakar as well as the suburbs as polling opened across the country.

The elections took place in 15,633 polling units across the country.

This is the fifth presidential election in Senegal’s history and arguably the most controversial as the opposition had a running battle with the ruling party leading to violent protests that have claimed lives and property.

President Sall’s administration has been notably investor-friendly but has not been able to tame the rising poverty that has pushed many jobless youth to undertake the dangerous journey across the Atlantic through the Mediterranean on dodgy boats.

Mr Faye has promised more jobs and other radical changes that included a change from the use of a currency tied to France and the investigation of previous contracts signed by the ruling party.

Although the results shown on television showed the opposition party leading in the polls, it was not clear how many of the 15,633 polling stations had finished counting.

Final provisional results are expected to be announced officially on Tuesday, and a second round of voting will only be necessary if no candidate secures more than 50 per cent of the votes.

Faye has urged fellow contenders to be magnanimous and accept any winner declared by the nation’s electoral body.