China congratulates Sall on re-election as Senegal's president

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China on Friday congratulated Macky Sall on his re-election as president of Senegal.

"China and Senegal are good friends and partners," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said at a press conference, adding that China believes that Senegal will make new achievements in national development under the leadership of President Sall.

Noting that China and Senegal are co-chairs of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), Lu said both countries shoulder the important responsibility to push forward the development of the China-Africa comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation.

He said China stands ready to work closely with the new government of Senegal, seizing the opportunity of implementing the outcomes of the FOCAC Beijing Summit, to further promote the development of China-Senegal and China-Africa friendly cooperation and bring benefits to the peoples.

Senegal's National Commission for the Census of Votes announced Thursday that the incumbent president Macky Sall was re-elected as president of the West African country, earning 58.27 percent of the vote in the presidential election held on February 24.

The majority win hands Sall a second term without a run-off vote. Opposition candidate Idrissa Seck came second with 21 percent of votes, while Ousmane Sonko placed third with 16 percent.

Macky Sall ballot papers are seen at the Dakar Plateau Adja Mame Yacine Diagne School in Dakar, February 24, 2019. /VCG Photo

Sall was tipped to win after a modernizing first term that propelled Senegal's economic growth to more than six percent - one of the highest in Africa.

Since Sunday's vote, opposition candidates have rejected reports of an outright victory for Sall, saying their tallies point to the second round of voting.

Seck and Sonko have not yet commented on the National Vote Counting Commission's results, which are preliminary until validated by the Constitutional Council. The candidates have 72 hours to register an appeal.

Electoral commission officers count votes during the presidential election at a polling station in Dakar, February 24, 2019. /VCG Photo

Senegal has long been viewed as West Africa's most stable democracy, with peaceful transitions of power since it gained independence from France in 1960.

Of the more than 6.68 million registered voters, more than 4.38 million showed up for voting, representing a turnout rate of 66.23 percent.

According to the constitutional revision of 2016, the presidential term would be reduced to five years from seven years previously.

Source(s): Reuters ,Xinhua News Agency