Senegal’s anti-establishment candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye appeared late Sunday to be closing in on a first-round victory in a presidential poll that follows several years of unrest and a political crisis.
The winner will be tasked with steering Senegal, viewed as a beacon of democracy in coup-hit West Africa, out of its recent troubles and managing revenues from oil and gas reserves that are short to start production.
Opposition figure Faye, 43, had promised voters profound change and a presidential programme of left-wing pan-Africanism.
Faye appeared clearly ahead of the governing coalition’s former prime minister, Amadou Ba, according to provisional results from individual polling stations published by local media and on social networks.
Five other contenders congratulated the opposition candidate on a first-round win, in light of initial indications from the ongoing vote count.
“Congratulations to Bassirou Diomaye Faye on his unquestionable victory,” the only woman candidate, Anta Babacar Ngom, posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Dethie Fall congratulated Faye “on his fine victory, clearly achieved in view of the very strong trends that are emerging”.
Papa Djibril Fall, Mamadou Lamine Diallo and El Hadji Mamadou Diao made similar declarations.
Faye and Ba had emerged as the favourites to win in a crowded pack of 17 candidates.
Hundreds gathered at Faye’s campaign headquarters in the capital Dakar late Sunday, singing and dancing to the sound of klaxons and drums.
Young people on motorbikes paraded the streets chanting “to the (presidential) palace”.
The atmosphere was more sombre among the few dozen supporters at Ba’s headquarters.
Radio and television stations read out the results from each of the 16,000 polling stations in Senegal and abroad without aggregating them.
Official results are not expected before the end of the week.
Faye has pledged to restore national “sovereignty,” fight corruption and distribute wealth more equitably.
He has also promised to renegotiate mining, gas and oil contracts signed with foreign companies.
Both contenders had also pitched themselves as the best candidate for young people in a county where half the population is under 20.
“I voted for Diomaye without thinking,” said Diaraaf Gaye, a 26-year-old shopkeeper, earlier in the day.
“It’s time for the country to start on a new footing with young people” in power.