July 30, 2010  Print Email | Voting delayed in Senegal local polls
Adoulaye Wade likely to be succeeded by his son
Posted by Agencies at 10:37 AM GMT on Mar 23, 2009 | DAKAR (AFP): Voting in Senegal's local elections yesterday was delayed, testing the strength of veteran president Adoulaye Wade and his possible successor ahead of a presidential vote in 2012.
The elections, held against a backdrop of mounting social tensions, marked the official entry into politics of Karim Wade, the son of the 82-year-old president who has been tipped as a candidate to succeed his father after his term ends in 2012.
Delays were reported at many polling stations due to problems with the ballots and many stations extended voting after 6pm.
"Voter turnout is around 50 per cent. That is an estimate, but it’s satisfying taking into account the delays in some locations," interior ministry spokesman Macoumba Koume told AFP yesterday evening. "We have a feeling of general satisfaction even if there were some problems here and there," he added.
The first results were expected during the night.
The vote is an important test for Wade's ruling PDS party, which has come under mounting criticism amid a food crisis and the global economic downturn.
It is also a test of strength for the opposition, which is taking part for the first time since boycotting parliamentary elections in 2007.
For Karim Wade, it is his official entry into politics as a candidate for city councillor in Dakar, a post that could see him become the capital's mayor.
The ruling Sopi coalition - Sopi means "change" in Senegal's Wolof language - is made up of 60 parties, but is dominated by Wade's PDS. It controls Senegal's parliament and senate as well as the majority of rural communities and municipalities, including Dakar and several other cities.
The main opposition parties have united to form their own coalition, "Benno Siggil Senegaal", Wolof for "United to boost Senegal". They wanted the vote to be a referendum on the government's performance.
Many voters grumbled about the delays and blamed the government, saying they were out to manipulate the elections.
In the Dakar neighbourhood of Pikine, one polling station had just opened at 2pm.
"I have been here since 8am. The voting did not start because not all the ballot papers are here," Deguene Fall, who was waiting in line in front of the polling station, told AFP. "I am 49 years old and since I turned 18 I have voted at this station and I have never seen anything like this. This is an act of sabotage by the authorities."
Last year, Senegal was hit hard by a food crisis, sparking popular protests against skyrocketing prices of rice, sugar and cooking oil. The capital Dakar has also seen shortages of cooking gas and frequent power cuts as the state-owned Senelec power company struggled to pay for fuel needed to keep the power plants going.
This year the global economic crisis and its effects on the remittances sent home by immigrants, a substantial source of income for many Senegalese families, is set to put a further strain on the country.
|
|
| |
|