US President Barack Obama congratulated Macky Sall on Monday for winning Senegal’s presidential poll, praising the west African nation as “a leading example of good governance and democracy at work.”
Obama, who was in South Korea for a nuclear security summit, also paid tribute to outgoing President Abdoulaye Wade “for his leadership and friendship to the United States” during his presidency.
“Senegal has, through this election, reaffirmed its tradition as a leading example of good governance and democracy at work in Africa and remains an example for its neighbors,” Obama said in a statement.
“The government and people of Senegal have once again demonstrated their commitment to political expression through peaceful, democratic elections, making it harder for non-democratic forces near and far to prevail,” he said.
“Today’s results deepen hopes across the continent and around the world that the quest for human dignity cannot be denied and that Africa’s democratic wave must continue.”
He said the United States “looks forward to maintaining its strong partnership and close engagement with the people and government of Senegal to continue to strengthen democracy, peace, and prosperity in the region.”
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hailed Sall’s victory and congratulated the authorities for organizing “the election process, which international and domestic observers agree was credible, orderly, and transparent.”
The chief US diplomat said the “election was an important step forward for democracy in Africa and for the Senegalese people,” adding Washington hoped to strengthen its partnership with the Senegalese people and government.
Senator Chris Coons, a Democrat who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, congratulated Sall, applauded the Senegalese for “conducting free, fair, and transparent elections,” and praised Wade.
“President Wade’s swift and peaceful concession is also a victory for Senegal and its people, and a critical milestone for its democratic system,” Coons said.
Sall defeated veteran leader Wade in an election lauded around the world as an example for African democracy.
Senegal was jubilant after the poll, which brought Wade’s increasingly controversial rule to a crushing end and disproved fears that political chaos was on the way in a country regarded as a regional beacon of democracy.