Peaceful polls in Senegal

The polls have closed following a controversial presidential election in Senegal, in which the incumbent was seeking a third term, despite a constitutional limit of two.

Election observers from the European Union and the African Union told the dpa news agency that the voting had been largely peaceful and orderly. They said turnout in the capital, Dakar, had been high, with lower voter participation in rural areas. There were reports of minor irregularities such as polling stations failing to open on time or some staying open late to allow voters who had been standing in line at the time the polls closed, to cast their ballots.

Several communities in Casamance are reported to have boycotted the vote after a soldier was killed on Saturday in a low-level conflict in the region.

Vote counting was expected to begin Sunday evening. If none of the 13 candidates wins an outright majority in the first round, the new president will be elected in a run-off between the top two candidates.

Controversial incumbent bid

Sunday's election followed weeks of violence over President Abdoulaye Wade's decision to seek a third term in office.

The 85-year-old incumbent was roundly booed and heckled as he arrived at a polling station to cast his ballot.

“Go away old man,” some opposition supporters shouted.

Almost daily demonstrations began in Senegal late last month after the country's constitutional court ruled that Wade could run for a third term in office. At least seven people were killed in clashes between police and demonstrators.

Senegal's 2001 constitution states that a president can serve only two terms in office, but Wade argued that this restriction didn't apply to him, as his first term in office began in 2000, before the limits were imposed.

Foreign diplomats issued last minute appeals for calm and a transparent vote

"We are watching the development of the situation closely. I have been concerned about what is happening there," United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told journalists on Saturday during a visit to Zambia.

"I sincerely hope that this election will be held peacefully in a credible, open and transparent manner so that the will of the people will be fully respected," he said.

Compromise rejected

On Saturday, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who led the African Union team, attempted to defuse tensions between Wade and his challengers by proposing a compromise. However, he was unable to convince Wade to agree to resign after serving just two years if he won.

Wade rejected the suggestion that it was time for him to step back to allow a younger man to take power.

“This is Africa. Yes I am old but I am physically well," he said in an interview with the French Sunday paper Le Journal du Dimanche. “My age has become an advantage. I am president and father of the nation. This is what the Europeans do not understand.”

The first provisional results of the election were expected late on Sunday.

pfd/ng (dpa, Reuters, AFP)