Senegal opposition leader asks supporters to defend their votes by any means (updated)
04/08/2022 24:58
(Adds reaction from ruling party)
By Diadie Ba
DAKAR, Aug 3 (Reuters) - A Senegalese opposition leader on
Wednesday called on supporters to be ready to defend their votes
by any means, accusing the ruling party of President Macky Sall
of wanting to steal a legislative election the opposition claims
to have won.
Official results of Sunday's vote are expected on Thursday,
but both Sall's ruling party, Benno Bokk Yakaar (BBY), and the
opposition have claimed victory, citing partial results.
urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2ZC03A
"Macky Sall wants to confiscate our victory but we will not
accept it," opposition leader Ousmane Sonko of the coalition
Yewwi Askane Wi (YAW) said at a news conference.
"I am asking the Senegalese people to defend their votes by
all means."
In response, Cabinet minister and ruling party member
Abdoulaye Seydou Sow said "these threats are unacceptable."
Tensions have run high in the politically stable West
African country of 17.5 million since violent protests broke out
last year, when Sonko, who came third in the last 2019
presidential election, was arrested on rape charges. Sonko
denies the allegations.
On Monday, another opposition coalition known as Wallu
Senegal said it and allied YAW had defeated the ruling party in
most departments. The ruling coalition said it had won 30 out of
Senegal's 46 administrative departments.
At Wednesday's news conference, YAW representative Dethie
Fall said YAW would not accept Thursday's results. YAW made
allegations that there were voting irregularities at polling
stations in northern regions.
YAW plans to ask the appeals court on Thursday to open
ballot boxes, so YAW can show evidence to back up its
allegations, said Fall.
The ruling party's Sow later said YAW's claims were
baseless.
"We accepted the results of Dakar, Thies and Ziguinchor -
they won. And now why should they not accept the results in
(northern) Matam, Podor and Kanel, because we won there," he
said.
Political acrimony has also been fuelled in part by Sall's
refusal to rule out breaching term limits by running for a third
term. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL8N2Z883G
(Writing by Alessandra Prentice
Editing by Lincoln Feast and Grant McCool)
((alessandra.prentice@thomsonreuters.com;))