Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the opposition candidate, is certain to become Senegal’s next president after provisional results suggested the 44-year-old was on track for a big first-round victory.
On Monday, Prime Minister Amadou Ba, the ruling coalition’s nominee, acknowledged defeat and thanked Faye, a former tax inspector.
Before his concession address, Ba’s supporters had believed that their candidate would make a comeback and compel a runoff vote.
The election commission has until Friday at midnight to publish the results of Sunday’s presidential election.