Senegal Presidential Election: Abdoulaye Wade and Macky Sall to face run-off (VIDEO)
A combination of two pictures taken in Dec. 2011 in Dakar shows (L) former Senegalese Prime Minister and opposition candidate of the Alliance pour la Republique (APR) Macky Sall and (R) current Senegalese president and presidential candidate Abdoulaye Wade.
NAIROBI, Kenya — As is often the case with fraught election run-ups the vote itself was calm and peaceful on Sunday in Senegal.
There was the wonderful and rare moment when President Abdoulaye Wade was booed and jeered as he cast his own vote spoiling a normally well-choreographed photo op. But there were barely any reports of the fraud, intimidation or violence that frequently mars elections in Africa.
More from GlobalPost: 5 facts about Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade (VIDEO)
Now as the votes are counted up it seems that Wade is headed for second round run-off against his former ally Macky Sall.
In a bid to forestall the violent unrest that is widely forecast if Wade succeeds in winning a third term in office, the former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo suggested that a compromise should be arranged in which Wade is allowed to rule for two years before stepping aside.
Let's hope that doesn't happen.
That kind of backroom deal dressed up as 'governments of national unity' in the name of reconciliation cheats ordinary people of their right to choose their own leaders and undermines nascent democracies.
More from GlobalPost: Week Ahead: Senegal, Iran and Russia go to the polls
Here's a video of Sunday's election:
