Opposition candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye is leading in Senegal’s vote count and his supporters were by early Monday celebrating on the streets as the counting of votes continues.
Some 7.3 million voters are registered in the West African country and Diomaye Faye is expected to trounce 17 candidates in the running.
More than 16,000 polling stations were set up, including around 800 overseas.
Ba is President Sall’s preferred successor, while Faye is running in place of opposition figurehead Ousmane Sonko, who was barred from running over a conviction that he disputes.
Diomaye Faye appeared early Monday to be closing in on victory in a presidential poll that follows several years of unrest and a political crisis, while the governing coalition said it was certain of a second-round vote.
At least seven of the presidential contenders congratulated Faye in light of initial indications from the ongoing vote count.
“Congratulations to Bassirou Diomaye Faye on his unquestionable victory,” the only woman candidate, Anta Babacar Ngom, posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Dethie Fall congratulated Faye “on his fine victory, clearly achieved in view of the very strong trends that are emerging”.
Faye, 44, and Ba, 62, — both former tax inspectors — had emerged as the favourites to win in a crowded pack of 17 candidates.
Hundreds gathered at Faye’s campaign headquarters in the capital Dakar late Sunday, singing and dancing to the sound of klaxons and drums.
A victory for the opposition’s Faye could herald a systemic overhaul in Senegal.
The anti-establishment figure has pledged to restore national “sovereignty,” fight corruption and distribute wealth more equitably.
He has also promised to renegotiate mining, gas and oil contracts signed with foreign companies, with Senegal due to start hydrocarbon production later this year.
“I remain confident about the choice for the change that I am able to embody better than any other candidate,” Faye said as he voted earlier Sunday.
The head of the EU mission, Malin Bjork, said voting had taken place “calmly, efficiently and (in a) very orderly manner”.
After weeks of confusion, Senegal’s top constitutional body overruled Sall’s attempt to delay the vote until December and forced him to reset the date to March 24, resulting in a rushed campaign that clashed with the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
Ba, Sall’s hand-picked would-be successor would inherit Sall’s legacy which includes mass arrests, persistent poverty, 20-percent unemployment and thousands of migrants setting off on the perilous voyage to Europe each year.
