POLLING stations opened across Senegal on Sunday as voters embarked on selecting a new president in what promises to be a tightly contested race. With incumbent Macky Sall ineligible for re-election after serving since 2012, 17 candidates are competing for the nation’s highest office.
Senegal, often lauded as one of West Africa’s most stable democracies, braces for its fourth democratic transfer of power since gaining independence from France in 1960. This election marks a historic moment as it’s the first time an incumbent is absent from the ballot.
Over 7.3 million registered voters will cast their ballots, with voting commencing at 8 am local time and concluding at 6 pm. The tallying process will commence immediately, with initial results expected within two days.
With a record number of candidates, the likelihood of a second round is high, requiring a candidate to secure over 50 percent of the votes to win outright. Notable contenders include former Prime Minister Amadou Ba, representing the ruling party, and Bassirou Diomaye Faye, backed by a prominent anti-establishment coalition.
Ba is positioned as President Sall’s preferred successor, while Faye steps in for opposition figurehead Ousmane Sonko, who was disqualified from running due to a contested conviction. Veteran politicians Idrissa Seck and Khalifa Sall also emerge as frontrunners.
The election unfolds under close scrutiny, with hundreds of observers from civil society, the African Union, the Ecowas regional group, and the European Union monitoring the process nationwide.
The election date comes after constitutional turmoil, with President Sall attempting to postpone it until the year’s end, triggering unrest and accusations of democratic subversion. The Constitutional Council intervened, mandating the election for March 24, coinciding with Ramadan.
Experts warn of heightened tensions post-election, especially if Ba secures victory in the first round or if Faye fails to progress to the second. The incoming president faces daunting challenges, including navigating political crises and managing forthcoming revenues from the nation’s burgeoning oil and gas reserves amidst economic hardship and rampant youth unemployment, factors driving emigration to Europe.