Supporters of opposition candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye have taken to the streets to celebrate his early victories in Senegal’s presidential election.
Faye’s win comes just a week after his release from prison, but his main rival from the ruling coalition argues that a second round of voting will be necessary to determine the final winner.
The victor will need to lead Senegal, known as a symbol of democracy in coup-plagued West Africa, through three years of unrest and political turmoil, as well as oversee the upcoming production of oil and gas reserves.
There is still uncertainty surrounding the election results, with official results not expected until the end of the week. A first-round win requires an absolute majority.
Opposition leader Faye has promised voters significant change and a left-wing pan-African presidential agenda.
Based on preliminary results from individual polling stations shared by local media and social networks, Faye seems to be leading ahead of the former prime minister of the ruling coalition, Amadou Ba.
Newspapers have already declared Faye as the winner on their front pages.
Faye, aged 44, and Ba, aged 62, who are both former tax inspectors, were the top contenders to win among 17 candidates.
“It’s almost a certainty because from what we can see, from the figures that have just come in, I’m telling you that there won’t be a second round,” Serigne Aissanine, the youth coordinator of Faye’s coalition, said late Sunday.
Many supporters of Faye gathered at his campaign headquarters in Dakar, the capital, where they sang and danced to the sound of horns and drums.
Youth on motorcycles paraded through the streets chanting “to the (presidential) palace”.
Ba briefly appeared in front of his supporters during the night and mentioned that he would provide a final update around midday on Monday.
At least eight other presidential candidates congratulated Faye based on initial results from the ongoing vote count.
However, Ba’s campaign released a statement stating that their experts believed they would at least make it to a second round, even in the worst-case scenario.
