Senegalese President Leads Election

Senegal President Abdoulaye Wade, waves at his supporters during a rally in Dakar, Senegal, Friday, Feb. 23, 2007. Wade, who spent three decades in the country's opposition and ran four times for president before winning in a landslide in 2000, says that he's spent a lot of time thinking about what Senegal needs and those that criticize him are failing to see the larger picture.(AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam) (Schalk Van Zuydam - AP)

DAKAR, Senegal -- The president of one of Africa's most stable democracies sought another five-year term Sunday, jostling with 14 contenders in a race that may hinge on the votes of young people hungry for jobs.

Early results reported by state-run Senegalese Press Agency indicated President Abdoulaye Wade was in the lead but did not say by how much. It was not known how many votes had been counted, but they included polling stations in key cities including the capital Dakar and Thies, the agency said.

The first official results are not expected to be released by the electoral commission until Monday night, Election Commissioner Issa Sall told The Associated Press.

Wade has presided over an era of peace rare in a tumultuous part of the continent, and the economy _ though struggling by Western standards _ is stronger than in many African nations. Still, thousands of desperate youths have already voted with their feet, risking their lives to slip illegally into Europe by sea.

The median age in this country of 12 million is about 19 years, according to U.S. government statistics, compared with 36 in the United States. About half of Senegal's work force is unemployed.

The 80-year-old Wade sounded confident as he cast his ballot in a dusty polling booth in this seaside capital.

"I will win, there is no question about it," he said. "It's evident that the youth have voted for me."

Among the top challengers are two of Wade's former prime ministers: Moustapha Niasse, a former U.N. envoy, and Idrissa Seck, jailed by the government for seven months on embezzlement charges that were never proved.

To avoid a run-off, the top candidate needs to win more than 50 percent of the ballot. Though Wade is considered the favorite, the crowded field of challengers could splinter the vote and force a runoff.

When Wade's black-tinted Hummer pulled up at the polling station, it was mobbed by supporters chanting "gorgui" _ a respectful Wolof word meaning "old man."

Each of the candidates appeared as a grainy photograph on 15 separate pieces of paper to ensure Senegal's largely illiterate population can easily make their choice.

But some voters complained the supposedly indelible pink-colored ink, used to mark voters' thumbs to ensure they did not cast multiple ballots, appeared to wash off with soap. To allay those concerns, Wade showed reporters that his thumb remained pink even after he rubbed it vigorously with a Kleenex.

For the Socialist Party's Tanor Dieng, one of the candidates challenging Wade, the president's reassurances were not good enough.

"All he can do is bluff, because he knows he's losing," Dieng said.

International election monitors said early evidence suggested the election was orderly and fair.

Wade, who spent three decades in the country's opposition, won in a landslide in 2000, defeating the long-ruling Socialist party. He pledged to abolish the system of privilege that characterized the final years of the Socialist regime, and promised investments in education and job training.

Wade claims he has made good on his promises, and has presided over 5 percent annual growth.

But with 48 percent unemployment and the capital suffering cuts in electricity service _ a situation unheard of several years ago _ many say it's not enough.

"It was the youth that brought him to power and for us it's been a great disappointment," said Moustapha Diagne, 48, a computer parts importer.

At least 31,000 Senegalese last year undertook the dangerous voyage in small boats by sea to try to reach Europe. Others journeyed north through the burning desert _ and perished along the way.

Wade is also criticized by some for focusing on the problems of the capital and neglecting rural areas. He has not been able to end an insurgency in Senegal's south.

Still, the president is widely credited with keeping Senegal relatively peaceful on a continent where many nations have suffered coups and wars.

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Associated Press writers Serigne Adama Boye contributed to this report from Matam, Senegal, and Mamadou Alpha Diallo from Ziguinchor, Senegal.