Senegal election update: Tough second round expected March 18

Incumbent president of Senegal, Abdoulaye Wade appeared at a news conference Monday, looking less gung-ho than usual, acknowledging he might not have won the required majority of votes to avoid a runoff.

One day later, it looked certain that the election will run to a second round, pitting Wade, 85, against Sall, 50, a former prime minister and ally.

With more than half the votes counted, Wade said Monday that he was leading the 13 other candidates with 32.17 percent. But he needs more than 50 percent to avoid a runoff. So far, Sall has between 29 percent and 30 percent of the vote.

Many believe Sall cannot fail to win in a second round, with most opposition voters likely to unite behind him, but others say Wade still has a chance.

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