DAKAR (Reuters) – Voting was under way in Senegal on Sunday in a delayed presidential election many hope will bring change after a turbulent political period that triggered violent anti-government protests and boosted support for the opposition.
At stake is the potential end of a regime that has pushed investor-friendly policies but failed to alleviate economic hardship in one of coup-prone West Africa’s more stable democracies just as it is poised to become an oil and gas producer.
Nineteen contenders are vying to replace President Macky Sall, stepping down after a second term marred by unrest over the prosecution of firebrand opposition leader Ousmane Sonko and concerns that Sall wanted to extend his mandate past the constitutional limit.
The incumbent is not on the ballot for the first time in Senegal’s history. His ruling coalition has picked former prime minister Amadou Ba, 62, as its candidate.
About 7.3 million people are registered to vote. In the capital, Dakar, hundreds of voters patiently lined up hours before polls opened on time at 0800 GMT.
In the ocean-facing neighbourhood of Ngor, fisherman Alioune Samba, 66, said he was voting for the change everyone wants.
“Food, water, school; everything is expensive with the low income we have in Senegal,” said the father of three.
Voting bureaus will begin posting their tallies from Sunday night.
Sonko, in jail until recently, was disqualified from the race because of a defamation conviction. He is backing the co-creator of his now dissolved Pastef party, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who was also detained almost a year ago on charges including defamation and contempt of court.
An amnesty law passed this month allowed their release days before the vote. They have campaigned together under the banner “Diomaye is Sonko”. Some high-profile politicians and opposition candidates have backed Faye’s candidacy.
“The population is choosing between continuation and rupture,” Faye said after casting his vote, urging contenders to accept the winner.
Other candidates include ex-Dakar mayor Khalifa Sall (no relation to the outgoing president), entrepreneur Anta Babacar Ngom – the only woman running – and Idrissa Seck, who was second in the 2019 election.
