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Senegal election: Abdoulaye Wade concedes defeat to Macky Sall
Disputed Results?
Sall’s manifesto includes a revamp of Senegal’s outage-prone energy sector and renewed efforts to end a simmering rebellion in the southern Casamance region, once a tourist destination.
Sall, 50, also promised to cut taxes on basics such as rice. Rising food prices mean some households spend half their income on a daily communal bowl of rice and sauce.
Sall praised Senegal’s peaceful voting.
“This shows that our country is a major democracy. We have a mature population that can choose lucidly and responsibly, and this is encouraging to me,” he said after casting his ballot at a polling station in the centre of Dakar.
The European Union said the election conditions were mostly positive, but noted that the voter list contained errors, including the names of some 130,000 dead people.
Poverty and mass unemployment are the main grievances. Wade argued that he has done more than the rival Socialists did in the 40 years they ruled after independence from France in 1960.
Senegal has US$500 million Eurobond, which analysts said depreciated before the first round vote due to the deteriorating political and security climate.
