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Senegalese Elections: Initial Results Favor Incumbent |
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Earlier today, Senegalese voters cast their ballots in the first round of national presidential elections. President Wade of the Parti Democratique Senegalais faces 14 challengers. Local radio stations began announcing results soon after polls closed at 6pm Senegal time, and having heard reports from a number of districts, it appears that Wade may have captured the majority percentage needed to secure immediate victory without going to a second round.
The results from one voting bureau in Dakar were typical:
610 registered voters; 487 votes cast
5 null
Wade 287
Ousmane Tanor Dieng (Parti Socialiste, the old ruling party) 83
Idrissa Seck (Wade’s former protege and prime minister)� 63
All others 49
Given the vigorous campaigns mounted by several of Wade’s opponents, and widespread discontent with his administration, some in Senegal are already questioning the numbers coming in from the polls. A victory for Wade with 55% or higher seems dubious to some, especially given that on the first tour in 2000 Wade only collected something like 25% of the vote, and only won after all of the opposition came over to his side to defeat then incumbent Abdou Diouf.
While the district-by-district style of reporting results is calculated to reduce political tensions, and official results will not be proclaimed until tomorrow, political unrest is a distinct possibility, depending on how results are received by other candidates and the general public. Right now streets seem relatively quiet in Dakar; however, given that candidates such as Tanor Dieng were already vocally warning against the possibility of fraud before the elections, some amount of controversy tomorrow or later in the week seems likely.
More to follow tomorrow.
Keep us posted! It’s facinating to hear about someone else’s democratic experiment.