Early findings from Senegal’s presidential polls indicated that Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the opposition candidate, might have won an absolute majority, but his opponent in the ruling coalition declared a run-off vote would be required to decide the victor.
Sunday saw celebrations in the streets of Dakar, the capital, as local media outlets began to reveal polling place tallies that placed 44-year-old Faye comfortably ahead of his chief competitor, Amadou Ba.
During the night, a number of other opposition candidates running in Sunday’s election conceded to Faye.
The Dakar appeals court is anticipated to release the official results on Friday.
After three years of record-breaking political unrest, many anticipate that the postponed elections will provide stability and stimulate the economy of the West African country.
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Outgoing President Macky Sall, who is resigning despite a decline in popularity following two terms in office tainted by economic hardship and violent anti-government protests, is supporting Ba as his opponent.
In a statement released late on Sunday, Ba warned that it would be premature to celebrate Faye’s win and that official results would indicate that a second round of voting was required.
Editing by Silvia Aloisi and Bernadette Baum; writing by Sofia Christensen; reporting by Bate Felix
