Amadou Ba, the candidate for the ruling coalition in Senegal, has announced his defeat in the recently held presidential election. Ba gave Bassirou Diomaye Faye a call on Monday to acknowledge the victory of the opposition candidate in Sunday’s presidential contest.
In a statement released on Monday, Ba said, “Taking into account the patterns of the presidential election results and waiting for the official declaration, I congratulate the president, Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, on his victory in the first round.”
Supporters of the opposition parties have been rejoicing in the streets around the nation since the polls closed on Sunday night, even though the vote count is still ongoing and the results are not expected until later this week.
A candidate must receive a majority of the vote in the first round to win; otherwise, there is a runoff. But supporters of the opposition claim that there is no disputing the preliminary trends, which rules out a runoff election.
In spite of their misgivings about possible turmoil, voters have nevertheless complimented the election’s orderly conduct. Ousmane Sonko, the leader of the popular opposition, was jailed last year, which sparked fatal riots in the months before the election.
We can see that democracy is progressing in our nation, which makes me happy. Mohamed Mbaye, a citizen of Dakar, stated, “We sincerely hope that the new president, who is chosen by the majority, will handle the country well.”
This is the fourth democratic handover of power in Senegal since the country’s independence more than six decades ago.
(Africanews)
