Senegal’s highest court confirmed President Abdoulaye Wade’s landslide re-election in last month’s elections on Sunday, throwing out an appeal by the main opposition over alleged irregularities.
”Candidate Abdoulaye Wade is first with 1 914 403 votes, representing 55,90% of valid votes,” said Ndeye Magatte Mbengue, chief clerk of the Constitutional Court, confirming a provisional tally already announced by electoral authorities.
Several of Wade’s challengers had made allegations of irregularities after the octogenarian incumbent saw off more than a dozen challengers, but only the main opposition Socialist Party and a minor grouping, the Democratic League, lodged formal appeals with the Constitutional Court.
Both were rejected.
Octogenarian Wade won nearly four times as much as his nearest rival, Idrissa Seck, his estranged former prime minister, with 14,92%. The Socialist Party’s Ousmane Tanor Dieng came in third with 13,56%. — Reuters