Wade takes early lead in Senegal poll

This has raised fears of possible unrest in one of the rare West African countries not to have experienced a coup or civil war after it gained independence from France in 1960.

The state-run Senegalese Press Agency (APS) said early, partial results posted at polling stations in Dakar and several other cities and towns such as Thies, Matam, Fatick and Podor gave the octogenarian president the initial advantage.

But official results are not expected until Monday and it was not clear whether Wade was on track for outright victory. If needed, a second-round run-off would be held in mid-March.

Wade, flagbearer of the ruling Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS), was leading rivals Ousmane Tanor Dieng of the Socialist Party and Idrissa Seck, a former ally and prime minister of Wade who is now running against him, APS said.

In a statement, Dieng's campaign said it had "credible information ... of a planned strategy of fraud."

"I'm asking those who vote ... to be vigilant until polling stations close, to avoid fraud," Dieng told reporters.

HIGH TURNOUT

Long queues had formed outside Senegal's polling stations on Sunday and voting hours were extended as a high turnout of Senegal's five million voters flocked to the polls.

Wade, in his 80s, has ruled since 2000.

From the dusty towns of north Senegal, on the fringes of the Sahara, to forest-hemmed villages in south Casamance region, where separatists fight a low-intensity war, voters turned out to cast their ballots in schools and public buildings.

In the capital Dakar, long lines of voters, many dressed in colorful robes, waited patiently in the sun or in the shade of the thick-trunked baobab trees that dot Senegal's landscape.

"I'm very optimistic and I think I'm going to win in the first round," Wade said, casting his ballot in a Dakar suburb.

The controversy clearly worried voters too in this predominantly Muslim country of nearly 12 million people, who live mostly from farming and fishing.

"Those who are in power have done everything possible to stay there, even if an important majority want them to go," said Amadou Ndiaye, 57, a goods handler, as he voted.

Wade's election in 2000 ended four decades of socialist rule. An economic liberal, he argues he has boosted Senegal's reputation as a stable democracy in a troubled region.

His campaign has included ambitious job-creation projects to build highways, five-star hotels, railways and airports in a bid to try to stop an exodus of desperate young migrants who have tried to leave for Europe in recent years.

Campaigning has largely been peaceful.

Wade's opponents criticize him for failing to tackle rural poverty, weak infrastructure, rising prices and a lack of jobs in a country where more than half the population is under 18.