Senegalese president admits defeat in election

Thousands celebrate in streets of Dakar as Macky Sall defeats Abdoulaye Wade in runoff

By Afua Hirsch and Sheriff Bojang Jr in Dakar
guardian.co.uk, Monday 26 March 2012

It is the story African voters live in fear of – a democratically elected leader flouts the constitution to extend his term in office, then refuses to cede power. For the past two months, voters in Senegal have been questioning whether their proud west African democracy would suffer the same fate.

But with one phone call on Sunday night, Senegal's 85-year-old president, Abdoulaye Wade, has finally confirmed the resilience of Senegal's political system, conceding victory to the opposition leader, Macky Sall, as early results showed a clear victory in runoff elections. 
 

Wade's decision to admit defeat early – less than three hours after results began being announced – prompted carnival scenes on the streets of Dakar as residents celebrated the end of 12 years of increasingly unpopular rule. Tens of thousands of Sall's supporters gathered at his party's headquarters throwing fireworks into the air, chanting "freedom at last" and "viva Macky".

"Can someone please confirm that we are no longer under the reign of Wade and his thieves?" a young Sall campaigner, Nogaye, shouted through tears as her friends hugged her and reassured her.

In other parts of Dakar, thousands of people gathered in the streets celebrating through the night, while taxis blockaded the roads and drivers danced through the traffic. At Independence Square, the centre of pre-election riots, at least 10,000 supporters danced and chanted for hours.

One of the revellers was Souleymane, a university student who had painted his body with the red, yellow and green colours of Senegal. "The last time we were in this square to exercise our rights, the police beat us and threw teargas at us. Tonight I'm here dancing and singing for my Macky and not a single police officer can even raise an eyebrow. How fantastic!"

Violent clashes had erupted repeatedly in Senegal's usually stable democracy as tension rose in the runup to the elections.

Disillusionment with Wade – who came to power in 2000 amid widespread public support after 25 years in opposition – had been growing over recent years. His decision to appoint his son Karim to key positions in government and failure to curb power cuts and soaring food and fuel prices had angered voters. He increasingly claimed that only he could run Senegal, further alienating the public.

Defeated Wade in his last press conference

The final straw for many came when Wade successfully went to court to evade the constitutional limit of two terms in office that he himself had enacted, allowing him to run for a third term.

"The big winner tonight is the Senegalese people," Sall said on Sunday night. "We have shown to the world our democracy is mature. I will be the president of all the Senegalese."

Sall, 50, is a former prime minister. Wade is credited with helping him rise through the political ranks, but their relationship broke down in 2008, leading to an acrimonious split with the ruling party. Sall was predicted to be the frontrunner after campaigning in villages and small towns as well as in the deprived urban areas surrounding the capital, Dakar.

His campaign was bolstered by the electoral commission's decision to exclude the candidacy of the singer Youssou N'Dour, who commands huge support from young voters in the capital, and who also backed Sall for the second round.

The collapse in support for Wade was particularly steep in Dakar, falling from more than 607,000 five years ago to just 189,493 in the 26 February vote.

"I've waited too long for this. Our country was hijacked from us for too long. Freedom is finally here. Thank God for Macky," said Aminata Mbengue, 36, shedding tears with her young baby on her back as she knelt before a giant poster of Sall, praying for the new leader.

Sall's victory was also celebrated by citizens of other west African countries, who used social media to cheer the people of Senegal. Jeggan Grey Johnson, a South-Africa-based Gambian communications expert, said: "Here's to democracy, good governance, popular participation and real people power. We are all Senegalese today."

International bodies praised the election outcome, and victory celebrations are expected to continue across Senegal throughout the week. The African Union said Wade's concession showed maturity in the country's democracy while the European Union called Senegal a "great example".