Voters celebrate change in Dakar

Thousands took to the streets of Senegal's capital Dakar on Monday to celebrate the defeat of President Abdoulaye Wade following Sunday's election.

"Macky president," "This time we have it," and "We have won," revelers shouted.

Early results from the second round of voting hailed Macky Sall the winner. Wade conceded defeat in a phone call to his rival, thereby calming fears he would try to cling to power.

Before Wade admitted defeat, early results showing Sall in the lead already had thousands pouring into the streets, chanting, dancing and sounding their car horns in celebration of the change.

These jubilant scenes were a stark contrast to the protests in recent months sparked by 85-year-old Wade's controversial bid for a third term.

Controversial election

Wade himself had introduced the two-term limit, but he said later changes to the constitution allowed him to serve two more mandates as the law was not retroactive - and the argument was upheld by the country's constitutional council.

In the run-up to the first round of voting on in February, downtown Dakar suffered near daily clashes between protesters and police, claiming the lives of six people.

During the first round of voting in February, Wade won with 34.8 percent of the vote, compared to Sall's 26.58 percent, but neither achieved the absolute majority needed for the presidency.

Armed with the support of his former opponents, who were defeated in the first round, Sall went back to the polls with a great deal of support. Some 5.3 million people registered to take part in the vote.

Sunday's result and Monday's celebrations bring the controversial presidential campaign to a close.

Wade speaks out

Although there were fears that he would hold onto the reins despite the votes and possibly derail one of Africa's pioneer democracies, Wade quickly conceded and then informed the nation he had done so. "My dear compatriots, at the end of the second round of the vote... the current results indicate that Macky Sall has brought home victory," he said in a statement.

"The real winner remains the Senegalese people", winner Sall told reporters in a statement after his victory became clear.

"I will be the president of all Senegalese," he promised, thanking Wade for his telephone call.

International acclaim

Former colonial power France and the United States had both urged Wade not to pursue a third term of office.

On Monday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy hailed Sall's victory as "very good news for Africa in general and for Senegal in particular" on France Info radio. He added that Senegal was a "model of democracy".

Most African countries began holding elections after independence in the 1960s, but Senegal cast their first ballots 164 years ago, starting in 1848, when France gave its territory the right to elect a deputy to the French parliament.

Early results from Sunday's election showed Sall beating Wade by at least 2 to 1. Wade was even roundly beaten in his home constituency in what must have been a humiliating blow for a leader who was hugely popular when first elected in 2000.

tm/ng (AP, AFP, dpa)