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Senegal election: Abdoulaye Wade concedes defeat to Macky Sall
Incoming president Macky Sall (l) and outgoing president Abdoulaye Wade
(Reuters) – Senegal’s President Abdoulaye Wade admitted defeat in Sunday’s election, state television reported, ending his bid for a third term that had sparked deadly clashes in the normally peaceful country.
The octogenarian leader phoned rival Macky Sall to congratulate him, state broadcaster RPS reported late on Sunday, an announcement greeted by celebrations across the capital Dakar.
Early results showed Wade, who has been in power since 2000, trailing his former ally and ex-prime minister by a wide margin.
“The president of the republic Abdoulaye Wade called candidate Macky Sall at 2130 GMT (1730 EST) to congratulate him,” state broadcaster RPS reported late on Sunday. “This follows the publication of very early results from the second round of presidential elections of March 25,” it said.
An official at Sall’s headquarters confirmed the report. “Today is a great day for Senegal,” Arona Ndoffene Diouf, a Sall advisor said.
The election is the latest test for democracy in a region plagued by bloodshed and flawed polls, including Ivory Coast’s which triggered a civil war last year. Senegal is the only nation in mainland West Africa not to have experienced a coup since independence.
Opposition activists had said Wade’s quest for a third term was unconstitutional and some voters viewed him as yet another example of a long-serving African leader seeking to hang on to power.
