February 27, 2000
DAKAR, Senegal (PANA) - Senegalese Sunday starting voting in an election where President Abdou Diouf is being challenged by seven candidates.
Among the challengers are Abdulaye Wade of the Democratic Party of Senegal, who is vying for the presidency for the fourth time, former foreign minister Mustapha Niasse and former interior minister Djibo Leity Ka, who both left the ruling Socialist party to contest the presidency.
Others are Ousseynou Fall, Cheikh Abdoulaye Dieye and Iba Der Thiam
In Dakar, voters began casting their ballots as early as 0830 GMT.
The number of voters observed at some polling stations gradually increased with the mid-morning sunshine that drove away the early morning cold.
According to the interior ministry, organiser of the election, there are 2,619,799 registered voters in the country while 106,192 others are living abroad.
Throughout the country there are 5,084 polling centers hosting 8,442 stations where balloting started calmly in an election that would give Senegalese a president for the next seven years.
Voting stations would close at 1800 GMT to be followed by the counting of ballots.
Authorities said if no candidate gets a win of the 51 percent majority of the votes, the electors would return to the polls 15 days after the proclamation of the results.