Senegal’s president Macky Sall has won his re-election bid after he gathered about 58% of the votes cast according to provisional results from the National Vote Counting Commission on realased on Thursday.
After winning the majority, Sall is on course for a second term without a run-off vote. The opposition candidate, Idrissa Seck was second best with 21 percent of votes, while Ousmane Sonko placed third with 16 percent.
Opposition has 72 hours to appeal
Since Sunday’s vote, opposition candidates have rejected reports of an out-right victory for Sall, saying their tallies point to a second round of voting.
Seck and Sonko are yet to comment on the National Vote Counting Commission’s results, which are preliminary until validated by the constitutional council. The candidates have 72 hours to register an appeal.
Senegal arguably has the most stable democracy in West Africa, with peaceful transitions of power since it gained independence from France in 1960.