Senegal: Incumbent Sall set for re-election - unofficial tallies

Unofficial tallies for Senegal's elections give incumbent President Macky Sall a first-round win with almost all of the votes counted. Sall has more than 58 per cent of the vote with his nearest rival former prime minister Idrissa Seck taking 20 per cent, according to tallies compiled by local media on the basis of regional counts.

Senegalese news website Emedia reported that Sall looks set for re-election with 95 per cent of votes counted, according to tallies compiled across the country's different administrative departments.

Ousman Sonko, a former tax inspector who became an MP, secured 15 per cent of the vote, Issa Sall of the Unity and Assembly Party (PUR) took less than 4 per cent of the vote and former justice and foreign minister Madicke Niang won less than two per cent of the ballots, according to Emedia .

Turnout was more than 66 per cent, according to Emedia, a figure with corresponds with reports from the AFP news agency citing an interior ministry source.

Some 6.7 million people were registered to vote in the country's elections. However, two of Sall's main rivals had been barred from running in the polls .

The EU's election observation mission said that the polls had demonstrated “enormous democratic maturity”.

“The best proof is the participation of voters,” said Elena Valenciano, a European MP heading the EU election monitoring mission . “A feeling of participation, transparency and peacefulness,” she added.

Nevertheless, the EU observers noted a political climate that had for several years been characterised by “a lack of confidence and blocking of dialogue between the opposition and [ruling] majority”, according to Valenciano.