Senegal pro-govt camp gains 62 percent of referendum votes

Dakar (AFP) - The pro-government "Yes" camp took 62.71 percent of votes in Senegal's controversial constitutional referendum, the election commission announced Wednesday, confirming a widely expected victory.

Sunday's vote was cast as a test of President Macky Sall's popularity, with the most controversial measure cutting a presidential term from seven to five years.

Despite the boost for Sall, participation was lower than predicted at 38.26 percent of the country's 5.7 million registered voters, according to the official count announced by election commission president Demba Kandji.

The results now face approval by Senegal's constitutional court.

Opposition parties and several civil society groups had urged Senegalese to vote "No", saying Sall has reneged on a promise to leave office early and criticising the referendum as a cop-out.

Sall was elected in 2012 saying he would reduce the presidential mandate from seven years to five.

He originally campaigned as an alternative to ex-president Abdoulaye Wade, who was seeking an unpopular third stint in power.