Senegal election heads to second round

DAKAR, Senegal, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- The presidential contest in Senegal is headed to a runoff after neither of the main contenders failed to secure more than half of the vote, a spokesman said.

Unofficial results from a weekend election in Senegal indicate incumbent President Abdoulaye Wade secured 32 percent of the vote. Former Prime Minister Mack Sall took 25 percent of the vote, the BBC reports.

Wade's spokesman said a second round was likely because neither leading candidate won more than 50 percent of the votes.

"The numbers are clear, we are headed to a second round," the spokesman was quoted as saying.

Weekend elections were peaceful. A court decision overriding a term-limit law gave Wade the right to seek a third term. Rioting that followed the decision's announcement left at least six people dead.

Sall, running in his first presidential race, told the BBC that winning the second round would be "easy" because of growing opposition to Wade. The incumbent is said to be wooing members of the opposition ahead of the runoff election.

The second round of voting is scheduled for March 18.