Reuters - Video

Edition: US | UK | IN | CN | JP

video MOST POPULAR

Filipino Catholics crucify themselves at Easter
Filipino Catholics crucify themselves at Easter - 01:04

Senegal president bids for third term

Monday, February 27, 2012 - 01:45

Feb. 27 - Senegal President Abdoulaye Wade in tight race with his main rival Macky Sall, according to early unofficial tallies from contentious poll. Nick Rowlands reports.

▲ Hide Transcript

▶ View Transcript

A group of men in the Senegalese capital Dakar read newspaper headlines about the contentious presidential race. Partial unofficial results show incumbent President Abdoulaye Wade just ahead of his rival and former protégé Macky Sall. The election follows weeks of violent street protests against 85-year-old Wade's bid for a third term in office despite a two-term limit. (SOUNDBITE) (French) PIERRE IGNACE SAGNAN, STUDENT, SAYING: "It's a good change for the country because Sall is an ambitious young man and really, we saw when he was in the governmental machine last time the way he worked. And now he comes to show to his critics that he is here, he's not politically extinct and that he's back." Sall, who is 50 years old, served as minister of the interior and prime minister before falling out with Wade and resigning his posts in 2008. He was among several opposition figures who organized near-daily demonstrations in the run-up to Sunday's vote. Despite this, Wade was confident of winning in the first round. (SOUNDBITE) (French) PIERRE IGNACE SAGNAN, STUDENT, SAYING: "We saw that the Senegalese people are wise and people went out and voted massively. The president maybe thought that he was going to win in the first round but people showed him that we've had enough of him, and that he can go." A candidate must score an outright majority to win in the first round, otherwise the top two candidates compete in a run-off. Many opposition supporters say they will rally behind Sall if the election goes to a run-off, no matter who their original candidate was. Nick Rowlands, Reuters

Press CTRL+C (Windows), CMD+C (Mac), or long-press the URL below on your mobile device to copy the code

Close

Senegal president bids for third term

Monday, February 27, 2012 - 01:45

Featured Videos

Scientists scramble to save axolotl salamander

Scientists scramble to save axolotl salamander

Mexico's axolotl salamander faces a doomsday scenario: dirty water, ravenous non-native fish and the steady encroachment of one of the world's biggest mega-cities
Home is best for new breed of Nigerian tour operators

Home is best for new breed of Nigerian tour operators

Entrepreneurs in Nigeria want to make their country as appealing as other African hotspots like Kenya and Tanzania
How rugby could tackle Japan's tattoo angst

How rugby could tackle Japan's tattoo angst

World Rugby has advised players to cover-up tattoos during next year's World Cup in Japan, but many advocates for the body art hope the arrival of inked athletes sparks a debate in a country with a complicated relationship with tattoos
A second chance for 300 derelict islands in Dubai

A second chance for 300 derelict islands in Dubai

Three hundred man-made islands. Streets with artificial snow under a desert sun. This ambitious real-estate project in Dubai has laid largely dormant since the 2008 financial crisis, but one developer is trying to make it come back in a big way
From gunbattles to tourism: Colombia's ex-rebels turn rafting guides

From gunbattles to tourism: Colombia's ex-rebels turn rafting guides

A group of former rebel fighters, who traded their guns, battle fatigues and heavy rucksacks for paddles, helmets and life jackets, launch four rafts laden with visitors into the turbulent Pato River, deep in Colombia's dense Amazon jungle