Opposition leader declares victory, government says a runoff is necessary: Who won the elections in Senegal?

12PUNTO FOREIGN NEWS

Following three years of opposition protests against incumbent Macky Sall, millions of Senegalese went to the polls on Sunday for the presidential election. After the first results began to arrive from the ballot boxes, the opposition declared victory. Amadou Ba, the candidate of the ruling coalition, 'denied' that he had lost.

Ba stated that a second round must be held to determine the winner. According to the Constitution of Senegal, a runoff is required if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the votes.

OPPOSITION LEADER WAS IN PRISON FOR 'DEFAMATION'

Bassirou Diomaye Faye, a 44-year-old senior official in the Pastef party led by Ousmane Sonko, was in prison until 10 days before the vote. Sonko was disqualified from the race due to a defamation conviction, which he claimed was politically motivated.

According to the initial results announced in Senegalese media, Faye won the majority of the votes. The first data coming from the ballot boxes triggered widespread street celebrations by opposition supporters in the capital, Dakar.

Supporters set off fireworks, waved Senegalese flags, and celebrated with vuvuzelas.

The results led five opposition candidates to declare Faye the winner. Anta Babacar Ngom, the only female candidate, congratulated Faye in a statement.

Faye has not yet made a statement.

It is not yet clear how many of the 15,633 ballot boxes have been counted so far. Official results were expected to be announced today (Tuesday, March 26).

Sonko supported Faye, a co-founder of the now-dissolved Pastef party, who was himself arrested about a year ago on charges including defamation and contempt of court.

An amnesty law passed this month allowed these individuals to be released days before the vote.

The two figures campaigned together under the slogan "Diomaye is Sonko." Some high-profile politicians and opposition candidates had endorsed Faye's candidacy.

After casting his vote, Faye said, "The people are choosing between continuity and rupture," and called on other candidates to accept the election results.

'PREPARE FOR A RUNOFF'

Incumbent President Sall was not on the ballot for the first time in Senegal's history. The ruling coalition nominated 62-year-old Ba, one of the former prime ministers.

In a statement regarding the initial results, Ba's campaign team said, "Given the results from our expert team, we are confident that in the worst-case scenario, we will make it to a runoff."

In the country of approximately 18 million people, about 7.3 million people registered to vote.

The election was supposed to be held last month, but President Sall's decision to postpone it triggered widespread protests by the opposition.

Election results in Senegal are expected to become clear within this week.

News Source: 12punto