Senegal is considered one of the most stable democracies in Africa. The uproar was all the greater when President Sall canceled the election of his successor in February. Now there has been a vote – with an open outcome.
The counting of votes has begun in Senegal, West Africa. Around seven million eligible voters were called upon to elect a new president. There had previously been protests – including deaths – because incumbent Macky Sall had postponed the election originally scheduled for February. After this political crisis, the outcome of the election is now considered open.
The polling offices closed promptly at 6 p.m. Eligible voters could choose between 17 candidates, including one woman. The favorites are the 62-year-old government candidate Amadou Ba and the 43-year-old opposition representative Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who had positioned himself as a candidate for system change. He and his popular party colleague Ousmane Sonko were only released from prison shortly before the elections – their mainly young supporters are talking about a political trial against the opposition.
Hundreds of election observers were sent
EU election observers said the election was “calm, efficient and very orderly.” Civil society organizations, the African Union, the West African Economic Union ECOWAS and the EU sent hundreds of election observers.
The outcome of the election is considered unpredictable – due to the months-long political crisis. The first preliminary results are expected at the beginning of the week. The date of a possible runoff election has not yet been set.
Never before has an election been postponed
The presidential election was originally supposed to take place on February 25th, but then it was surprisingly postponed until the end of the year by incumbent Macky Sall – which led to protests. The Constitutional Council then ordered an earlier date. Never before had an election been postponed in the country’s history.
Senegal is actually considered a model for democracy and stability in West Africa and a strategic partner for Western states in the Sahel region. In recent years, anti-Western military forces have seized power several times in countries in the region – for example in Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.