Senegal's Wade seeks controversial third term in presidential runoff

Dakar, Senegal - Polling stations have opened in Senegal, where more than five million voters have registered to vote in a presidential runoff between incumbent Abdoulaye Wade and opposition leader Macky Sall.

Both sides expressed confidence before voting started across the West African nation on Sunday, a month after a first round vote whittled the field down to two candidates.

Serigne Mbacke Ndiaye, Wade's spokesperson, told Al Jazeera that the 85-year-old president's Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS) was "ready and more than confident" and "the voters are with us".

"There is only one possible outcome of this election, and that is we will win," he said.

Meanwhile, El Hadj Kasse, Macky Sall's spokesperson, told Al Jazeera that his Alliance for the Republic (APR-Yakaar) party was "perfectly ready".

"We know we have completed an excellent campaign … [and are] extremely confident because everybody notices today that the Senegalese need change," he said.

In Dakar, tens of thousands have flocked to polling stations, with a great deal more optimism than the first around.

In Fatick, thousands have also arrived to cast their ballot. Local reporters say that the numbers are far higher than previously recorded.

In the region of Ziguinchor in the southern Senegal, people had queued up before polling stations had opened at 0800GMT.

In Wade's home town Saint Louis, an officer of a polling station said that voting started on time and that all materials and logistics were in place.

Wade's candidacy prompted opposition protests and street clashes prior to the first round amid dismay over his decision to seek a third straight term, despite himself introducing a two-term limit.

Al Jazeera's Andrew Simmons reporting from Dakar says: "Both men are saying they have won, and there are concerns that Wade's supporters could use fraudulent means."

"We have a tense situation, as if Wade wins, people will suspect fraud, as Sall is the favourite," said our reporter.

Wade, president since 2000, argued that the term limit could not be applied retroactively, and was backed by the country's constitutional council.

In the first round of voting, he secured 34 per cent of the vote, while Sall managed to win 27 per cent. But 12 opposition parties have rallied behind the APR-Yakaar leader and former prime minister, appearing to give him an edge in the runoff.

Optimism

Dakar, the Senegalese capital, was abuzz with activity on Saturday, a far cry from the virtual lockdown the city endured during the days leading up to the first round vote on February 26.

National newspapers reflected the optimism sweeping across the country, cautiously staying away from predicting a possible winner.

Wade continues to command a loyal supporter base and observers are quick to point out that ruling him out would be premature.

While there is some trepidation and tension in parts of the city, over the outcome of the vote, there is also visible optimism that the success of the first round voting augurs well for a smooth conclusion to the polls.

While observers and analysts have mostly ruled out fears of election violence and rigging, both sides are not taking any chances.

"We are asking Senegalese to remain at the polling stations until the publication of results in the evening," Kasse said.

But Kasse added that the APR-Yakaar was undeterred because no "matter how powerful Wade's team is, they cannot be more powerful than the Senegalese people".

On Saturday, the Head of the CENA election commission told a local newspaper that the two candidates had been banned from any premature declaration of the final results to avoid raising tensions in the country.

Five million voters are set to cast their ballot in 11,904 polling stations across 14 regions across the country, excluding the army's vote earlier in the week and votes from Senegalese living abroad.

Much of the discussion in the lead up to the vote has revolved around speculation over the deals which Sall had made with other opposition candidates in order to gain their support.

Yoncouba Seydi, Idrissa Seck, a frontrunner opposition candidate in the first round, said that Seck had agreed to support Sall as part of an earlier agreement to support the candidate that reached the run off with Wade.

"If Sall wins, Seck will resume his job as part of the opposition," Seydi said.

The head of the election commission said that results were likely to be released on Thursday, though unofficial results will filter throughout the evening over the airwaves from local radio stations.