Senegal: As projected, opposition candidate, Faye, wins presidential poll with 54.28 % votes

DAKAR – Senegal’s opposition candidate, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, has won Sunday’s election with 54.28 percent of the total votes.

This is according to official provisional results released by the Electoral Commission on Wednesday.

Presidential candidates have until the end of Thursday to file appeals challenging Faye’s win, after which the Constitutional Council would confirm him as the president-elect, the BBC reports.

Faye’s main challenger, former Prime Minister Amadou Ba of the ruling coalition, secured 35.79 percent of total votes.

The election recorded a voter turnout of 61 percent.

Ba, along with several of the other 15 presidential contestants, have already conceded and congratulated Faye.

It was considered unlikely that they would appeal against the results.

Outgoing President Macky Sall’s attempts to delay the polls, initially scheduled for February, sparked violent protests.

Faye had said he would rule Senegal with humility and fight corruption.

He had also promised to put measures in place to address youth unemployment and the high cost of living.

Expectations remain high for Africa’s youngest democratically elected president.

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