DAKAR, Senegal — Senegalese are heading to the polls Sunday to vote in a tightly contested presidential race marred by months of unrest that threatened democracy in one among West Africa’s most secure nations.
The election will happen after a lot uncertainty following President Macky Sall’s unsuccessful effort to delay the Feb. 25 vote till the top of the 12 months — after which saying a shock amnesty for political prisoners.
Two main opposition figures have been launched from jail final week to jubilant celebrations.
Sunday’s election is about to be Senegal’s fourth democratic switch of energy because it gained independence from France in 1960. It is usually the primary vote with out an incumbent on the poll since time period limits have been launched and there’s no clear frontrunner among the many 19 candidates, together with one lady.
“That is poised to be probably the most aggressive election for the reason that introduction of multiparty politics,” Tochi Eni-Kalu, Africa analyst on the Eurasia Group, instructed The Related Press.
Analysts say no candidate is predicted to win greater than 50% of the vote, which implies a runoff between main candidates is broadly anticipated. These embody Amadou Ba, a former prime minister, and Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who’s backed by common opposition determine Ousmane Sonko.
Sonko, who got here third within the earlier election, was barred from working in January due to a previous conviction for defamation. He has confronted a slew of authorized troubles in recent times that supporters say are a part of a authorities effort to derail his candidacy.
Different potential frontrunners are Khalifa Sall, a former mayor of Dakar unrelated to the president, and Idrissa Seck, a former prime minister from the early 2000s who was the runner up within the 2019 presidential race.
Two candidates dropped out this week to again Faye’s candidacy, an indication of the beginning of coalition-building that might decide the end result of the race, in keeping with analysts.
On the forefront of considerations for a lot of Senegalese voters is the financial system, which has been squeezed by excessive meals and vitality costs partly pushed by the struggle in Ukraine. Unemployment among the many nation’s youth is widespread, driving hundreds to threat their lives on harmful journeys in the hunt for jobs within the West.
“Jobs are actually, really the precedence. Everybody can see that unemployment is taking up,” mentioned Oumy Sarr, a political activist. “The second precedence is the excessive value of residing in Senegal right this moment. What’s to be completed to enhance folks’s residing situations? Inflation is rising, everyone seems to be drained.”
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Related Press reporter Babacar Dione in Dakar contributed.
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Observe the AP’s protection of world elections at: https://apnews.com/hub/global-elections/