Brussels 25.03.2024 Early results from Sunday’s presidential elections in Senegal indicate opposition candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye,44, is in the lead, prompting his supporters to celebrate on the streets of the capital Dakar hoping the new administration will address widespread poverty and corruption.

The governing coalition’s candidate, former Prime Minister Amadou Ba, on Monday, March 25, conceded defeat to Faye hours after saying he was ready for a run-off vote. A candidate requires more than 50% of votes to prevent a run-off.

The electoral committee has yet to release details about the exact results as vote counting is under way. Official results are expected to be announced in the coming days as soon as the count is completed.

“The decisions of the Constitutional Council and the Presidency of the Republic set the date of the presidential election before the end of the President’s mandate on April 2, and establish the legal framework for the continuity of the State beyond this date. They thus end a period of uncertainty while demonstrating the vitality and resilience of institutions and the rule of law in Senegal” reads the statement of the EU spokesperson on March 8.

“The EU welcomes the fact that Senegalese citizens can thus choose their political leaders through elections within the set deadlines, and calls on all institutional, political and civil society actors to commit to a peaceful electoral campaign, for the holding of credible and transparent elections while respecting fundamental rights and freedoms.

“The EU will continue its support for the electoral process, particularly through its electoral observation mission, as Senegal had invited it to do”.