Senegalese voters cast ballots Sunday to elect a new parliament, a test run for President Macky Sall ahead of a 2019 presidential election and after a campaign marred by violence and tensions. Most of the 14,000 polling stations opened at 8:00 am (0800 GMT) but there were delays in several places after some sites were hit by a violent overnight storm, local media reported. Polling ends at 6:00 pm and the first results are expected early Monday. More than 6.2 million people in the west African nation are registered to vote.

 Sall is seeking to bolster his parliamentary majority as he eyes a second term, while his predecessor Abdoulaye Wade, 91, attempts to drum up support for his own list of candidates and for his son, Karim, who is waiting in the wings with eyes on the top job. “We aren’t talking any longer about July 30, but of 2019,” Prime Minister Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne, who is running for a seat with Sall’s coalition, declared at a rally. In a sign of growing tensions, Interior Minister Abdoulaye Daouda Diallo banned inter-regional travel on Sunday until midnight.—Agencies </s> Senegal's President and a candidate for the upcoming presidential elections Macky Sall, speaks after casting his vote at a polling station as his wife Marem Faye Sall stands behind in Fatick, Senegal February 24, 2019. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra Senegal's President and a candidate for the upcoming presidential elections Macky Sall, speaks after casting his vote at a polling station as his wife Marem Faye Sall stands behind in Fatick, Senegal February 24, 2019. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra

DAKAR (Reuters) – Senegal’s prime minister said President Macky Sall won the first round of an election on Sunday with at least 57 percent of votes, even as the opposition said preliminary results showed a run-off was unavoidable.

“We must congratulate the President for his re-election in the first round,” Prime Minister Mohammed Dionne told journalists, also citing preliminary figures.

Official results are due by Friday at the latest with a run-off for the top two on March 24 if no one secures a majority. </s> Voters in Senegal went to the polls on Sunday to elect a new president.

Polling stations in Dakar closed on schedule at 6 p.m (1800 UTC) after a largely incident-free election day.

It was not immediately clear how many of the country's 6.5 million registered voters turned out. Official results are due on Friday with a run-off for the top two on March 24 if no one secures a majority.

Incumbent President Macky Sall became the front runner after two prominent opposition figures — former minister Karim Wade and former Dakar mayor Khalifa Sall — were barred from the election due to convictions for misuse of public funds.

Supporters of Senegalese President Macky Sall hold posters

Sall's competitors are former Prime Minister Idrissa Seck, Issa Sall of the Unity and Assembly Party (PUR), former Justice and Foreign Minister Madicke Niang and tax inspector-turned parliamentarian Ousmane Sonko.

After voting in the southwest city of Zinguinchor, Sonko pledged he would accept the outcome as long as the electoral process if credible and free of fraud.

Read more: President Macky Sall: ‘Senegal doesn’t need any lessons in democracy’

Some 15,000 polling stations opened around the country at 8 a.m. (0800 GMT/UTC) and will close at 6 p.m., with preliminary results expected not long after.

Sall, who represents the Alliance for the Republic party, has mostly campaigned on the promise to implement a second phase of his socio-economic development program.

He has been in power since 2012 and his initiatives include investment in infrastructure and a social grant system for the West African nation's poorest families.

Sall's main rival is Idrissa Seck, 59, a former prime minister and candidate of the Rewmi party.

Voter choices limited

The five-candidate race leaves voters with a limited choice compared to 2012 when 14 candidates vied for the top post, and 2007 when 15 battled it out for the presidency.

Some 6.7 million people from Senegal's population of 16 million are registered to vote.

To win the election outright, a candidate must get more than 50 percent of the votes cast.

If no one wins more than half the ballots on Sunday, a second vote is provisionally scheduled for March 24. The exact timing will be determined by how long it takes to officially proclaim the first-round results, and whether there is a challenge.

A new system approved by parliament last year, despite opposition party challenges, requires candidates to demonstrate they have the support of a minimum number of citizens and regions.

Muslim-majority Senegal is one of Africa's most stable countries, and has experienced strong growth while largely escaping the jihadist attacks that have destabilized its neighbors, such as Mali.

Two candidates barred

The Constitutional Council made the decision to bar Khalifa Sall (no relation to Macky Sall) and Wade in January.

Khalifa Sall, one of Senegal's most popular politicians, was sentenced to five years in prison for corruption in 2018.

The 63-year-old argued at the time that the verdict was politically motivated, but his attempt to appeal his sentence was denied.

Barred candidate Wade, the son of former president Abdoulaye Wade, had been groomed for the position and was set to be the candidate of Senegal's largest opposition party, the Senegalese Democratic Party.

law/aw (AFP, dpa)

Every evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here. </s> Dakar (AFP) - Senegalese voters cast ballots Sunday to elect a new parliament, a test run for President Macky Sall ahead of a 2019 presidential election and after a campaign marred by violence and tensions.

Most of the 14,000 polling stations opened at 8:00 am (0800 GMT) but there were delays in several places after some sites were hit by a violent overnight storm, local media reported.

Polling ends at 6:00 pm and the first results are expected early Monday. More than 6.2 million people in the west African nation are registered to vote.

Sall is seeking to bolster his parliamentary majority as he eyes a second term, while his predecessor Abdoulaye Wade, 91, attempts to drum up support for his own list of candidates and for his son, Karim, who is waiting in the wings with eyes on the top job.

"We aren't talking any longer about July 30, but of 2019," Prime Minister Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne, who is running for a seat with Sall's coalition, declared at a rally.

In a sign of growing tensions, Interior Minister Abdoulaye Daouda Diallo banned inter-regional travel on Sunday until midnight.

Sall's other main opponent, Dakar Mayor Khalifa Sall (no relation), is in jail awaiting trial for what supporters say are politically motivated embezzlement charges.

The mayor had been seen as a key contender for 2019 and a potential threat to the president in parliament until he was charged in March with allegedly misappropriating 1.83 billion CFA francs ($2.85 million, 2.7 million euros) in city funds.

There are a record 47 lists of candidates contesting the election, with 165 lawmakers due to take seats in parliament.

Fifteen seats are being set aside for Senegalese expatriates -- the first time that the country's diaspora, estimated at half a million, will have direct representation.

Police have fired tear gas and arrested dozens during at times violent campaigning that left several injured in a country normally known for its peaceful democratic traditions.

Wade attempted to campaign in a downtown square he had decreed a restricted zone while still president in 2011, an area just metres from the presidential palace. He was pushed back by security forces, leading to several arrests.

Campaigning was marred by tragedy on July 15 when eight people were killed as rival supporters clashed during Senegal's League Cup final, and a stampede caused a wall to fall on escaping fans.

Controversy also erupted over the failure to deliver enough new biometric ID cards needed to vote, which hundreds of thousands of Senegalese have not received in time.

The president asked Senegal's constitutional council to relax the voting rules so people without the cards could use passports or other forms of identification to cast their ballots, along with proof they had applied for the IDs.

Several political parties and opposition coalitions angrily denounced the last-minute move, saying it increased the possibility of fraud.

Tit-for-tat arguments between President Sall and former president Wade's camps have also erupted over the length of motorways and number of bridges built under their respective tenures.

Wade has accused Sall of "destroying" Senegal, while the president's side say Wade did not do enough to develop the nation while in power, boasting of their achievements in building a new airport and other infrastructure projects. </s> Senegal's president is banking on a booming economy for his re-election bid in Sunday's vote.

But opposition candidates are focusing on poverty and unemployment, which are pushing people to seek a better life abroad.

These are two wildly disparate views of Senegal, but now it is up to the six million voters of Senegal to decide which rings more true. </s> Dakar (AFP) - Senegal voted in a tense general election Sunday, with ex-president Abdoulaye Wade accusing his successor of engineering problems with the ballot to thwart an opposition victory.

The vote to elect a new parliament is seen as a test run for President Macky Sall ahead of a 2019 presidential election and follows a campaign marred by violence.

The first results are due early Monday in the west African nation, where more than 6.2 million people are registered to vote.

There were hours-long delays to voting in several places, and some voters complained of being left off the electoral rolls.

"I'm going home. I've checked at several polling stations and my name doesn't figure anywhere. However I normally vote here," complained Souleye Tine in Dakar's working-class Medina neighbourhood.

Wade pointed the blame firmly at the president after a campaign that at times saw violent clashes in a country normally known for its peaceful democratic traditions.

"Macky Sall arranged it -- he gave instructions so that in all the places where he thinks the opposition is going to win, there's no voting," Wade said.

"An election in which one of the candidates cannot find his ballot papers in the polling stations cannot be called an election," Wade said in reference to delays due to the absence of ballot papers for several electoral lists.

"I call on all voters who have voted to stay at their polling stations until the results are announced, to witness whether the results conform to reality."

At 91, Wade, who returned last month for the election campaign after two years abroad, is aiming to drum up support for his own list of candidates and his son Karim, who is not on the ballot but has ambitions for the presidency.

Sall, in power since 2012, is seeking to bolster his parliamentary majority as he eyes a second term.

Polling stations were due to close at 6:00 pm (1800 GMT) but in the central city of Touba the governor said people could vote until midnight after particularly long delays worsened by heavy overnight storms.

A polling station in the city was vandalised by voters angry that ballot papers for Wade's coalition were unavailable, official news agency APS reported.

Sall's other main opponent, Dakar Mayor Khalifa Sall -- no relation of the president -- is in jail awaiting trial for what supporters say are politically motivated embezzlement charges.

The mayor had been seen as a key contender for 2019 and a potential threat to the president in parliament until he was charged in March with allegedly misappropriating 1.83 billion CFA francs ($2.85 million, 2.7 million euros) in city funds.

Wade had accused the government during the campaign of seeking to prevent an opposition victory through selective delivery of the biometric ID cards needed to vote, with several hundred thousand failing to arrive on time.

The constitutional council eventually moved to relax the rules so that people without the cards could use passports or other forms of identification to cast their ballots, along with proof they had applied for the IDs.

Sall said he hoped the problems with the vote would be resolved.

"I hope people will vote calmly and return home calmly," APS quoted him as saying, adding: "Senegal is a democracy that cannot be pushed backwards."

The election has been complicated by the record 47 lists of candidates in the running, meaning 47 types of ballot paper needed to be available at polling stations.

Fifteen of the 165 seats in parliament are being set aside for Senegalese expatriates -- the first time that the country's diaspora, estimated at half a million, will have direct representation.

Wade has accused Sall of "destroying" Senegal, while the president's side say Wade did not do enough to develop the nation while in power, boasting of their achievements in building a new airport and other infrastructure projects. </s> President Macky Sall looks to boost majority in vote seen as test run ahead of 2019 presidential election.

Voters in Senegal are set to elect a new parliament following a tense campaign between rival coalitions in an election seen as a crucial test of support ahead of a presidential election in 2019.

Polling takes place between 8:00am and 6:00pm local time (08:00 to 18:00 GMT) on Sunday, with first results due early Monday.

More than 6.2 million people in the west African nation are registered to vote.

READ MORE: Senegal comedian uses radio to tackle taboos

Senegal's President Macky Sall is seeking to bolster his parliamentary majority as he eyes a second term, while his 91-year-old predecessor, Abdoulaye Wade, attempts to drum up support for his own list of candidates.

Wade, who left office after corruption allegations led to violent street protests in 2012, returned from retirement in France earlier this month to run in the elections.

"We aren't talking any longer about July 30, but of 2019," said Prime Minister Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne, who is running for a seat with Sall's coalition, as he addressed a rally on Thursday.

Sall is not up for re-election until 2019, but he expects his coalition to perform well against a fractured opposition in this election, propelling him towards a second term.

Sall's other main opponent, Khalifa Sall, is the mayor of Dakar and is currently in jail awaiting trial over embezzlement charges.

The mayor was seen as a key presidential contender and a potential threat to the president in parliament, until he was charged in March with allegedly misappropriating 1.83bn CFA francs ($2.85m) in city funds.

There are a record 47 lists of candidates contesting the election, with 165 politicians due to take seats in parliament.

Fifteen seats are being set aside for Senegalese expatriates - the first time that the country's diaspora, estimated at 500,000 people, will have direct representation.

Ahead of the vote, Wade's supporters protested to show their dissatisfaction with the current leader, Sall.

Police fired tear gas to disperse them and arrested dozens. Several people were injured in the country normally known for peaceful democratic traditions.

Campaigning was marred by tragedy on July 15, when eight people were killed as rival supporters clashed during Senegal's football league final in Dakar. A stampede caused a wall to fall on escaping fans.

READ MORE: Saving Senegal's sons from vanishing in European seas

The failure to deliver enough new biometric ID cards needed to vote also caused unrest; hundreds of thousands of Senegalese have not received their cards in time.

The president asked Senegal's constitutional council to relax voting rules so people without the cards could use passports or other forms of identification to cast their ballots, along with proof they had applied for the IDs.

Several political parties and opposition coalitions angrily denounced the last-minute move, saying it increased the possibility of fraud.

"We're asking the Constitutional Council to not give Macky Sall and his regime the leverage to commit fraud," Hassan Ba, Wade supporter, told Al Jazeera. "We will not accept fraud." </s> Sunday’s election is taking place following a campaign gripped by tension between the rival coalitions of President Macky Sall, his predecessor Abdoulaye Wade and Dakar's detained mayor.

It is seen as a crucial test of support ahead of Senegal's presidential vote in 2019.

"We aren't talking any longer about July 30, but of 2019," Prime Minister Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne, who is running for a seat with Sall's coalition, declared at a rally on Thursday night.

Police have fired tear gas and arrested dozens during at times violent campaigning, in a country normally known for its peacefu democratic traditions.

Supporters of the president have clashed with those of Dakar mayor Khalifa Sall (no relation) for keeping him in preventive detention as he awaits trial for embezzlement charges.

The other thorn in President Sall's side is 91-year-old former head of state Abdoulaye Wade, under whom he served as prime minister until beating him in the 2012 presidential election.

Wade attempted to campaign in a downtown square he had decreed a restricted zone while still president in 2011, an area which sits just metres (yards) from the presidential palace, but was pushed back by security forces leading to several arrests.

There are a record 47 lists of candidates contesting the election, with 165 lawmakers to be selected for Senegal's parliament, which has less power than the presidency under the country's constitution.

Fifteen seats are being set aside for Senegalese expatriates, the first time that the country's diaspora, estimated at half a million, will have direct representation.

Polling takes place between 8 am and 6 pm (0800 to 1800 GMT), with first results known in the early hours of Monday.

Campaigning was marred by tragedy on July 15. Eight people were killed when rival supporters clashed during Senegal's League Cup final, and a stampede caused a wall to fall on escaping fans.

All sporting and cultural events were subsequently banned for the duration of the campaign.

A controversy has also erupted over the failure to deliver enough new biometric ID cards needed to vote.

The president asked Senegal's constitutional council to relax the voting rules so people without the cards could use passports or other forms of identification to cast their ballots, a request granted on Wednesday.

Several political parties and opposition coalitions angrily denounced the last-minute move, saying it increased the possibility of fraud.

Sall will seek to bolster his support in parliament as he eyes a second term, while Wade is hoping an opposition victory will allow him to obtain an amnesty for his son, Karim.

Karim Wade is currently living in Qatar as part of a pardon deal after being convicted of illicitly amassing a fortune worth at least 178 million euros ($198 million), but it is believed his father wants him to take Senegal's top job one day after previously serving as a minister.

Meanwhile Khalifa Sall, who stands accused of the alleged misappropriation of 1.83 billion CFA francs ($2.85 million, 2.7 million euros) in city funds, languishes in jail after being repeatedly denied bail.

"Everywhere, I see the harmful effects of the policies of (Macky Sall's) regime which has pushed our nation to disaster," Khalifa Sall wrote in a letter from his cell published on Friday.

Khalifa Sall's supporters say the timing of the allegations is designed to weaken the onetime presidential hopeful's chances of forging ahead against his namesake, and a victory could give him extra bargaining power to negotiate his release, observers say. </s> Senegal voters choose whether to give president another term

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegal's President Macky Sall sought re-election Sunday on his record of building roads and creating jobs, while opposition supporters maintained those efforts had not reached many in this West African country where young men often risk their lives to migrate to Europe.

This year's vote also has been marked by allegations that the presidency had effectively blocked two prominent opposition politicians from taking part: Dakar's former mayor and the son of the president Sall ousted from office in 2012.

Sall, 57, who cast his ballot in his hometown of Fatick, was hoping to win a second term outright Sunday without heading to a runoff vote. Opposition voters were divided between four candidates including Idrissa Seck, a former prime minister who has run for the presidency twice before.

"I hope that after this election whomever is chosen will be the president of all Senegalese," Sall said at his polling station. "I hope that will be me."

Sall has dubbed himself "the builder of modern Senegal," and billboards lining Dakar's highways tout the 221 kilometers (137 miles) of new roads and a high speed train in the works that will link the capital to its brand new international airport.

The West African country's annual GDP growth was 7.2 percent in 2017, and Sall says some 491,000 jobs were created during his first term. He is pledging to add 1 million more if re-elected.

In Dakar's Guediawaye neighborhood, voters made their way across a sand courtyard to cast ballots at the Kawsara Fall school just before 8 a.m., many clutching prayer beads and plastic cups of coffee.

Mamadou Tall, 45, said that he was backing Seck, an opposition candidate, because the president's big projects had yet to improve the lives of many Senegalese.

"Around here there are many young men taking the boats to Europe. Unemployment is a real problem," said Tall, who wore a long flowing white embroidered robe known as a boubou. "In many families there is one person working and he's supporting 12 to 15 relatives."

While the president has touted the city's new airport, Tall pointed out that the project began under his predecessor, Abdoulaye Wade, and said it really only benefits the well-off.

"Most people here in this neighborhood will never get on a plane," he said.

Others, though, pointed to tangible benefits over the last seven years that they attributed to Sall's leadership.

Demba Diagne, 25, says life has gotten better especially in Senegal's rural areas even if there is more work to be done.

"My friend had to go on a horse-drawn cart for 7 kilometers (4 miles) while she was in labor to get to a hospital," he recounted. "Under Macky, there are ambulances now."

Voters who criticize Sall's efforts need to be more patient, he insisted.

"What can you do in only seven years? To finish a house, it takes longer than six months," said Diagne. "To change a country, you have to leave him time to do good work."

Sall became president in 2012 after campaigning on a message of change and then beating longtime former President Abdoulaye Wade. A constitutional referendum since then has shortened the presidential term from seven years to five. Sall weathered some criticism after he still finished out his seven-year mandate following that law change.

Senegal has long been a democratic example in West Africa where coups and clinging to power used to be all too common in neighboring countries. European Union election observers reported no major irregularities by mid-day Sunday.

"The polls opened in a calm environment without violence or significant incidents noted at this hour by our observers," the EU mission said.

Absent from Sunday's ballot were two prominent opposition figures who had sought to run but were blocked from doing so after both men were convicted of corruption charges in separate and unrelated trials. Supporters for both men maintain those charges were politically motivated and part of an effort to sideline their candidacies.

Former Dakar Mayor Khalifa Sall is currently serving a five-year sentence on charges of misusing public funds. Karim Wade, son of the former president, has been in self-imposed exile in Qatar since he was released from prison in 2016 following a pardon after serving time on corruption charges.

Supporters of Khalifa Sall, who is no relation to the president, have mostly rallied behind Seck. On Sunday, though, there was still a sense of injustice among the former mayor's ardent supporters.

"He's a thief, Macky Sall," said Karim Ba, 37. "There's nothing fair about this election. There should be seven candidates on the ballot — not five."

Associated Press writers Amelia Nierenberg and Babacar Dione contributed to this report.
Voters in Senegal assemble to vote for the country's next president.