Sunday's legislative elections will select 165 lawmakers for Senegal's parliament, a body which has less power than the president under the Senegalese Constitution. The polls represent the first test for President Macky Sall since winning office in 2012 and are considered a signal of support before the country's presidential vote slated for 2019, when Sall's seven-year term is up.

"We aren't talking any longer about July 30, but of 2019," said Prime Minister Mahammed Boun Abdallah, an ally of President Sall, at a recent rally.

One of the main coalitions opposing Sall is being led by 91-year-old former President Abdoulaye Wade, who recently returned to the political scene. Wade was president of Senegal from 2000-2012. Many observers believe that Wade is gunning for the presidency in 2019 so that he can grant amnesty to his son, who was exiled to Qatar after being convicted of embezzling $200 million (170 million euros).

Wade's supporters recently clashed with police, who stopped them from holding a rally at a square close to the Presidential Palace.

Abdoulaye Wade, the former president of Senegal, is back on the political stage

"What we are doing is in the interest of the country. We take our responsibility so that people vote and make Macky Sall - who has destroyed Senegal - leave," he said after the failed rally.

Capital campaigns

The other coalition challenging Sall is being led by Khalifa Sall (no relation), Dakar's popular mayor, who has been in detention as he awaits trial for the alleged misappropriation of $2.85 million (2.7 million euros) in funds from the city. He has repeatedly been denied bail and many of his supporters have accused Sall of pursuing the charges against the mayor in order to weaken his chances in the election.

"Everywhere, I see the harmful effects of the policies of [Macky Sall's] regime which have pushed our nation to disaster," Khalifa Sall wrote in a letter from jail.

Many residents of the county's capital, Dakar, understand the importance of Sunday's polls. Xuman, a rapper and a performer, is dismayed by the number of campaigns that have been offering money to poor residents for their vote.

"Unfortunately there is a lot of poverty in the suburbs, so the temptation is strong to support a politician just to get money," said Xuman. "The money is being distributed in exchange for a promise to vote [for the candidate]."

Logistics and violence

With just one day to go before the election, many of the promised biometric ID cards needed to vote have not been delivered.

President Macky Sall is hoping for strong support for his coalition in Sunday's vote

President Sall went to the country's constitutional council last week to ask them to relax the rules so that people without the cards could use other forms of identification to cast their ballot. Many political parties and opposition coalitions denounced the last-minute move, as it could open up the election to fraud, but the request was subsequently granted.

Even though Medoune Magasouma did receive his voting card, many of his family members did not. The Dakar resident is nervous about how the elections will turn out.

"There are so many problems that we have no guarantee that we will have fair elections," he said.

The police have had their hands full keeping the supporters of the opposing camps apart, leading to the deployment of tear gas and numerous arrests. Eight people were killed when campaign violence broke out at a football match earlier this month. All sporting and cultural events were subsequently called off until after the elections.</s>Dakar (AFP) - The ruling coalition of Senegal's President Macky Sall won a widely expected landslide in a legislative election, his prime minister said Monday, bolstering Sall's prospects for re-election in 2019.

The Benno Bokk Yakaar (BBY) coalition swept all but three of the country's 45 electoral departments, Prime Minister Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne told the public Senegalese press agency APS ahead of the official release of results.

The ruling coalition had "emerged victorious" following the vote on Sunday, Dionne said, while the turnout was 54 percent among Senegal's 6.2 million registered voters, an increase on voting in 2012.

Dionne said President Sall's opponents were likely to be ahead in the departments of Kedougou, Saraya and possibly Mbacke, but otherwise the BBY list of candidates "had been voted in by the Senegalese people".

However supporters of Dakar Mayor Khalifa Sall (no relation), who is in jail awaiting trial for what supporters say are politically motivated embezzlement charges, claimed his coalition had taken the capital.

The full official results are expected on Wednesday or Thursday.

There were a record 47 lists of candidates contesting the election, with 165 lawmakers due to take seats in parliament.

Some voters complained of being left off the electoral rolls on Sunday, and there were delays to voting in several places, partly due to bad weather.

Sall's main threat to increasing his power in parliament was posed by ex-leader Abdoulaye Wade, 91, who was aiming to drum up support for his own list of candidates and his son, Karim, who is not on the ballot but has ambitions for the presidency.

Wade won in the central department of Mbacke, the APS agency reported.

Back in Dakar, Cheikh Gueye, a key figure in Mayor Khalifa Sall's campaign, said the victory of his candidate's list in the capital was "as clear as the midday sun."

Warning they would stand their ground both politically and legally, he added: "We will not accept an electoral hold-up," responding to the prime minister's claim of victory.

Mayor Sall had been seen as a key contender for 2019 and a potential threat to the president in parliament. Then in March with allegedly misappropriating 1.83 billion CFA francs ($2.85 million, 2.7 million euros) in city funds.

In the central town of Touba, police arrested three members of Wade's list after angry voters sacked a voting centre, . They were released later Monday, a source there told AFP.

On Sunday, the governor had extended voting there after long delays worsened by heavy overnight storms.

"These are the worst organised elections since independence," in 1960, said Bamba Fall, a leading member of Mayor Fall's list, from Dakar.

Police fired tear gas and arrested dozens during at times violent campaigning that left several injured in a country normally known for its peaceful democratic traditions.

Controversy also erupted over the failure to deliver enough new biometric ID cards needed to vote, which hundreds of thousands of Senegalese did not received in time.</s>The ruling coalition of Senegal's President Macky Sall won a widely expected landslide in a legislative election, his prime minister said Monday, bolstering Sall's prospects for re-election in 2019.

The Benno Bokk Yakaar (BBY) coalition swept all except three of the country's 45 electoral departments, said Prime Minister Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne, speaking to the public Senegalese press agency APS ahead of the official release of results.

The ruling coalition "emerged victorious" following the vote on Sunday, Dionne said, while the turnout was 54 percent among Senegal's 6.2 million registered voters, an increase on voting in 2012.

Dionne said opposition coalition lists were likely to be ahead in the departments of Kedougou, Saraya and possibly Mbacke, but otherwise the BBY list of candidates "had been voted in by the Senegalese people".

The official results are expected later this week.

Some complained of being left off the electoral rolls on Sunday, and there were delays to voting in several places, partly due to bad weather.

Sall's main threat to increasing his power in parliament was posed by ex-leader Abdoulaye Wade, 91, who was aiming to drum up support for his own list of candidates and his son, Karim, who is not on the ballot but has ambitions for the presidency.

His other serious opponent, Dakar Mayor Khalifa Sall (no relation), is in jail awaiting trial for what supporters say are politically motivated embezzlement charges, and headed a list while campaigning from his jail cell.

The mayor had been seen as a key contender for 2019 and a potential threat to the president in parliament until he was charged in March with allegedly misappropriating 1.83 billion CFA francs ($2.85 million, 2.7 million euros) in city funds.

There were a record 47 lists of candidates contesting the election, with 165 lawmakers due to take seats in parliament.

Police fired tear gas and arrested dozens during at times violent campaigning that left several injured in a country normally known for its peaceful democratic traditions.

Controversy also erupted over the failure to deliver enough new biometric ID cards needed to vote, which hundreds of thousands of Senegalese did not received in time.</s>Sunday’s election is taking place following a campaign gripped by tension between the rival coalitions of President Macky Sall, his predecessor Abdoulaye Wade and Dakar's detained mayor.

It is seen as a crucial test of support ahead of Senegal's presidential vote in 2019.

"We aren't talking any longer about July 30, but of 2019," Prime Minister Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne, who is running for a seat with Sall's coalition, declared at a rally on Thursday night.

Police have fired tear gas and arrested dozens during at times violent campaigning, in a country normally known for its peacefu democratic traditions.

Supporters of the president have clashed with those of Dakar mayor Khalifa Sall (no relation) for keeping him in preventive detention as he awaits trial for embezzlement charges.

The other thorn in President Sall's side is 91-year-old former head of state Abdoulaye Wade, under whom he served as prime minister until beating him in the 2012 presidential election.

Wade attempted to campaign in a downtown square he had decreed a restricted zone while still president in 2011, an area which sits just metres (yards) from the presidential palace, but was pushed back by security forces leading to several arrests.

There are a record 47 lists of candidates contesting the election, with 165 lawmakers to be selected for Senegal's parliament, which has less power than the presidency under the country's constitution.

Fifteen seats are being set aside for Senegalese expatriates, the first time that the country's diaspora, estimated at half a million, will have direct representation.

Polling takes place between 8 am and 6 pm (0800 to 1800 GMT), with first results known in the early hours of Monday.

Campaigning was marred by tragedy on July 15. Eight people were killed when rival supporters clashed during Senegal's League Cup final, and a stampede caused a wall to fall on escaping fans.

All sporting and cultural events were subsequently banned for the duration of the campaign.

A controversy has also erupted over the failure to deliver enough new biometric ID cards needed to vote.

The president asked Senegal's constitutional council to relax the voting rules so people without the cards could use passports or other forms of identification to cast their ballots, a request granted on Wednesday.

Several political parties and opposition coalitions angrily denounced the last-minute move, saying it increased the possibility of fraud.

Sall will seek to bolster his support in parliament as he eyes a second term, while Wade is hoping an opposition victory will allow him to obtain an amnesty for his son, Karim.

Karim Wade is currently living in Qatar as part of a pardon deal after being convicted of illicitly amassing a fortune worth at least 178 million euros ($198 million), but it is believed his father wants him to take Senegal's top job one day after previously serving as a minister.

Meanwhile Khalifa Sall, who stands accused of the alleged misappropriation of 1.83 billion CFA francs ($2.85 million, 2.7 million euros) in city funds, languishes in jail after being repeatedly denied bail.

"Everywhere, I see the harmful effects of the policies of (Macky Sall's) regime which has pushed our nation to disaster," Khalifa Sall wrote in a letter from his cell published on Friday.

Khalifa Sall's supporters say the timing of the allegations is designed to weaken the onetime presidential hopeful's chances of forging ahead against his namesake, and a victory could give him extra bargaining power to negotiate his release, observers say.</s>President Macky Sall looks to boost majority in vote seen as test run ahead of 2019 presidential election.

Voters in Senegal are set to elect a new parliament following a tense campaign between rival coalitions in an election seen as a crucial test of support ahead of a presidential election in 2019.

Polling takes place between 8:00am and 6:00pm local time (08:00 to 18:00 GMT) on Sunday, with first results due early Monday.

More than 6.2 million people in the west African nation are registered to vote.

READ MORE: Senegal comedian uses radio to tackle taboos

Senegal's President Macky Sall is seeking to bolster his parliamentary majority as he eyes a second term, while his 91-year-old predecessor, Abdoulaye Wade, attempts to drum up support for his own list of candidates.

Wade, who left office after corruption allegations led to violent street protests in 2012, returned from retirement in France earlier this month to run in the elections.

"We aren't talking any longer about July 30, but of 2019," said Prime Minister Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne, who is running for a seat with Sall's coalition, as he addressed a rally on Thursday.

Sall is not up for re-election until 2019, but he expects his coalition to perform well against a fractured opposition in this election, propelling him towards a second term.

Sall's other main opponent, Khalifa Sall, is the mayor of Dakar and is currently in jail awaiting trial over embezzlement charges.

The mayor was seen as a key presidential contender and a potential threat to the president in parliament, until he was charged in March with allegedly misappropriating 1.83bn CFA francs ($2.85m) in city funds.

There are a record 47 lists of candidates contesting the election, with 165 politicians due to take seats in parliament.

Fifteen seats are being set aside for Senegalese expatriates - the first time that the country's diaspora, estimated at 500,000 people, will have direct representation.

Ahead of the vote, Wade's supporters protested to show their dissatisfaction with the current leader, Sall.

Police fired tear gas to disperse them and arrested dozens. Several people were injured in the country normally known for peaceful democratic traditions.

Campaigning was marred by tragedy on July 15, when eight people were killed as rival supporters clashed during Senegal's football league final in Dakar. A stampede caused a wall to fall on escaping fans.

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The failure to deliver enough new biometric ID cards needed to vote also caused unrest; hundreds of thousands of Senegalese have not received their cards in time.

The president asked Senegal's constitutional council to relax voting rules so people without the cards could use passports or other forms of identification to cast their ballots, along with proof they had applied for the IDs.

Several political parties and opposition coalitions angrily denounced the last-minute move, saying it increased the possibility of fraud.

"We're asking the Constitutional Council to not give Macky Sall and his regime the leverage to commit fraud," Hassan Ba, Wade supporter, told Al Jazeera. "We will not accept fraud."</s>Dakar (AFP) - Senegalese voters cast ballots Sunday to elect a new parliament, a test run for President Macky Sall ahead of a 2019 presidential election and after a campaign marred by violence and tensions.

Most of the 14,000 polling stations opened at 8:00 am (0800 GMT) but there were delays in several places after some sites were hit by a violent overnight storm, local media reported.

Polling ends at 6:00 pm and the first results are expected early Monday. More than 6.2 million people in the west African nation are registered to vote.

Sall is seeking to bolster his parliamentary majority as he eyes a second term, while his predecessor Abdoulaye Wade, 91, attempts to drum up support for his own list of candidates and for his son, Karim, who is waiting in the wings with eyes on the top job.

"We aren't talking any longer about July 30, but of 2019," Prime Minister Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne, who is running for a seat with Sall's coalition, declared at a rally.

In a sign of growing tensions, Interior Minister Abdoulaye Daouda Diallo banned inter-regional travel on Sunday until midnight.

Sall's other main opponent, Dakar Mayor Khalifa Sall (no relation), is in jail awaiting trial for what supporters say are politically motivated embezzlement charges.

The mayor had been seen as a key contender for 2019 and a potential threat to the president in parliament until he was charged in March with allegedly misappropriating 1.83 billion CFA francs ($2.85 million, 2.7 million euros) in city funds.

There are a record 47 lists of candidates contesting the election, with 165 lawmakers due to take seats in parliament.

Fifteen seats are being set aside for Senegalese expatriates -- the first time that the country's diaspora, estimated at half a million, will have direct representation.

Police have fired tear gas and arrested dozens during at times violent campaigning that left several injured in a country normally known for its peaceful democratic traditions.

Wade attempted to campaign in a downtown square he had decreed a restricted zone while still president in 2011, an area just metres from the presidential palace. He was pushed back by security forces, leading to several arrests.

Campaigning was marred by tragedy on July 15 when eight people were killed as rival supporters clashed during Senegal's League Cup final, and a stampede caused a wall to fall on escaping fans.

Controversy also erupted over the failure to deliver enough new biometric ID cards needed to vote, which hundreds of thousands of Senegalese have not received in time.

The president asked Senegal's constitutional council to relax the voting rules so people without the cards could use passports or other forms of identification to cast their ballots, along with proof they had applied for the IDs.

Several political parties and opposition coalitions angrily denounced the last-minute move, saying it increased the possibility of fraud.

Tit-for-tat arguments between President Sall and former president Wade's camps have also erupted over the length of motorways and number of bridges built under their respective tenures.

Wade has accused Sall of "destroying" Senegal, while the president's side say Wade did not do enough to develop the nation while in power, boasting of their achievements in building a new airport and other infrastructure projects.</s>Dakar (AFP) - Senegal voted in a tense general election Sunday, with ex-president Abdoulaye Wade accusing his successor of engineering problems with the ballot to thwart an opposition victory.

The vote to elect a new parliament is seen as a test run for President Macky Sall ahead of a 2019 presidential election and follows a campaign marred by violence.

The first results are due early Monday in the west African nation, where more than 6.2 million people are registered to vote.

There were hours-long delays to voting in several places, and some voters complained of being left off the electoral rolls.

"I'm going home. I've checked at several polling stations and my name doesn't figure anywhere. However I normally vote here," complained Souleye Tine in Dakar's working-class Medina neighbourhood.

Wade pointed the blame firmly at the president after a campaign that at times saw violent clashes in a country normally known for its peaceful democratic traditions.

"Macky Sall arranged it -- he gave instructions so that in all the places where he thinks the opposition is going to win, there's no voting," Wade said.

"An election in which one of the candidates cannot find his ballot papers in the polling stations cannot be called an election," Wade said in reference to delays due to the absence of ballot papers for several electoral lists.

"I call on all voters who have voted to stay at their polling stations until the results are announced, to witness whether the results conform to reality."

At 91, Wade, who returned last month for the election campaign after two years abroad, is aiming to drum up support for his own list of candidates and his son Karim, who is not on the ballot but has ambitions for the presidency.

Sall, in power since 2012, is seeking to bolster his parliamentary majority as he eyes a second term.

Polling stations were due to close at 6:00 pm (1800 GMT) but in the central city of Touba the governor said people could vote until midnight after particularly long delays worsened by heavy overnight storms.

A polling station in the city was vandalised by voters angry that ballot papers for Wade's coalition were unavailable, official news agency APS reported.

Sall's other main opponent, Dakar Mayor Khalifa Sall -- no relation of the president -- is in jail awaiting trial for what supporters say are politically motivated embezzlement charges.

The mayor had been seen as a key contender for 2019 and a potential threat to the president in parliament until he was charged in March with allegedly misappropriating 1.83 billion CFA francs ($2.85 million, 2.7 million euros) in city funds.

Wade had accused the government during the campaign of seeking to prevent an opposition victory through selective delivery of the biometric ID cards needed to vote, with several hundred thousand failing to arrive on time.

The constitutional council eventually moved to relax the rules so that people without the cards could use passports or other forms of identification to cast their ballots, along with proof they had applied for the IDs.

Sall said he hoped the problems with the vote would be resolved.

"I hope people will vote calmly and return home calmly," APS quoted him as saying, adding: "Senegal is a democracy that cannot be pushed backwards."

The election has been complicated by the record 47 lists of candidates in the running, meaning 47 types of ballot paper needed to be available at polling stations.

Fifteen of the 165 seats in parliament are being set aside for Senegalese expatriates -- the first time that the country's diaspora, estimated at half a million, will have direct representation.

Wade has accused Sall of "destroying" Senegal, while the president's side say Wade did not do enough to develop the nation while in power, boasting of their achievements in building a new airport and other infrastructure projects.</s>DAKAR (Reuters) - Senegal President Macky Sall's ruling coalition was set on Monday to retain a commanding majority in parliament after a weekend election, a presidential aide said, but the opposition claimed the results were tainted by fraud.

Sall came to power in 2012 by defeating longtime incumbent Abdoulaye Wade in a vote that reaffirmed Sengal's status as one of West Africa's most stable democracies.

"We have won 42 districts of the 45 in the country," Mahmoud Saleh, a political adviser to Sall, told Reuters. "This gives us a comfortable majority in parliament."

Sall's coalition won 43 of 45 districts in 2012. The new parliament will have 165 seats, 105 through direct suffrage while 60 will be apportioned from party lists.

Sunday's vote was marred, however, by delays in issuing biometric identity cards that prevented hundreds of voters from casting their ballots, part of what opposition leaders said was an intensifying clampdown on political opposition.

Political demonstrations are routinely halted by a heavy police presence and the mayor of the capital Dakar, one of Sall's main competitors, was jailed in March for embezzling public funds, charges Sall's opponents say are politically motivated.

"What happened yesterday was not incompetence but sabotage to commit fraud," said opposition leader Amadou Sall. A government spokesman denied the charges of fraud and accused the opposition of being a "sore loser".

Senegal is the only nation on mainland West Africa not to have seen a coup or civil war since independence and its political stability has helped it attract major investments in infrastructure and its emerging oil sector.</s>Senegalese voters cast ballots Sunday to elect a new parliament, a test run for President Macky Sall ahead of a 2019 presidential election and after a campaign marred by violence and tensions. Most of the 14,000 polling stations opened at 8:00 am (0800 GMT) but there were delays in several places after some sites were hit by a violent overnight storm, local media reported. Polling ends at 6:00 pm and the first results are expected early Monday. More than 6.2 million people in the west African nation are registered to vote.

 Sall is seeking to bolster his parliamentary majority as he eyes a second term, while his predecessor Abdoulaye Wade, 91, attempts to drum up support for his own list of candidates and for his son, Karim, who is waiting in the wings with eyes on the top job. “We aren’t talking any longer about July 30, but of 2019,” Prime Minister Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne, who is running for a seat with Sall’s coalition, declared at a rally. In a sign of growing tensions, Interior Minister Abdoulaye Daouda Diallo banned inter-regional travel on Sunday until midnight.—Agencies</s>DAKAR (Reuters) - At least hundreds of Senegalese voters were prevented from casting their ballots in parliamentary elections on Sunday because of delays in issuing identity cards, voters and officials said.

In an embarrassing turn for one of West Africa's most stable democracies, voters were left off voting lists at polling stations or told they did not have the right documents to vote.

Opposition leaders have criticized President Macky Sall for trying to stamp out political opposition in a contentious campaign.

Political demonstrations in Dakar are routinely halted by a heavy police presence and the liberal use of tear gas. And Khalifa Sall, the popular mayor of the capital, Dakar, and one of Sall's main competitors, was jailed in March for embezzling public funds, charges that Sall says are politically motivated.

The central problem in Sunday's vote was the delay in issuing biometric identity cards. Interior Minister Abdulaye Daoudada Diallo said early last week that 30 percent of the cards had still had not been distributed.

That caused an outcry from opposition politicians and voters who had spent weeks trying to obtain the new cards so they could vote. Sall asked the constitutional council to let voters use their card registration receipts and passports.

But voters at a polling station in the Point E area of Dakar found that those documents were not enough.

"I was registered in the list to vote, but I don't have my up-to-date voting card, so I can't exercise my right to vote," said Imam Diallo, a 20-year-old footballer who had his I.D. card registration receipt.

About 10 others said they were unable to vote for the same reason. Local radio stations said that thousands of Senegalese were turned away.

"What happened is a shame for a country like Senegal that has been voting since 1848," said Abdoulaye Wade, the 91-year-old former President and opposition candidate, who had returned from France to take part in the elections.

Serigne Babacar Kane, Dakar's top administrative prefect, told Reuters that voters needed to get their registration receipts verified and stamped by local officials beforehand, though many said they were unaware of this. He was unable to say how many people could not vote.

President Sall, who has prided himself on advancing transparency and stable, progressive democracy in Senegal since his election victory in 2012, welcomed the "smooth running" of the elections, he said, after casting his vote on Sunday.

"I hope that people will vote calmly and return home calmly," he said.
Voters in Senegal elect all 165 members of their National Assembly, with former President Abdoulaye Wade leading a coalition against the incumbent Macky Sall's United in Hope coalition.