Senegal Election: Final Stretch of Campaigning Comes to an End

In Senegal, presidential hopefuls are intensifying their campaign efforts ahead of Sunday’s election, marking the final push for votes before electoral restrictions come into effect at midnight on Friday.

Campaign events are culminating in Dakar, the capital, as candidates seek to make their final appeals to voters. The timing of the election coincides with the month of Ramadan, a period of fasting observed by Senegal’s Muslim-majority population, which has influenced campaign activities.

Seventeen candidates are in the running for the presidency, though the competition is expected to primarily unfold between opposition candidates Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Amadou Ba, a former prime minister.

Mr. Faye has garnered support from three other candidates, including the son of former President Abdoulaye Wade, who himself was disqualified from the race.

Throughout the campaign, candidates have pledged to tackle pressing issues such as unemployment, the need for institutional reform, and the challenging economic climate facing the country.

Senegal is widely regarded as one of Africa’s most stable nations, distinguished by its absence of coups and its history of peaceful transitions of power, having undergone three such transitions.

However, recent events have seen tensions rise, particularly following a contentious attempt by outgoing President Macky Sall to postpone the election, which sparked violent protests last month. President Sall, having served two terms, is not eligible to run for re-election.

Polling stations will open at 08:00 local time and GMT on Sunday and will close at 18:00. Provisional results are anticipated to be announced no later than the following Friday, marking a crucial moment in Senegal’s democratic process.