[Al Jazeera] Polls have closed in Senegal... a nation of about 14 million on the west coast of Africa bordering Mauretania to the north, Mali to the east, and a pair of Guineas to the south, one of them Bissau. It is 90 percent Mohammedan and has more than 80 political parties. Its primary purpose seems to be absorbing refugees...
and ballots are being counted after millions took part in the West African country's presidential election.
Long queues formed early Sunday morning outside polling stations in the capital, Dakar - home to more than 1.6 million of 6.6 million registered voters.
Voting centres opened at 0800GMT and closed at 1800GMT, with preliminary results out on Tuesday and the official tally out on Friday.
A candidate must secure more than 50 percent of the votes to be declared the winner.
If no contestant wins a majority, a runoff between the two leading candidates will be held on March 24.
President Macky Sall, who came to power in 2012, is widely expected to win the poll.
Sall, who is seeking a second and final term in office, became the frontrunner after two of Senegal's most well-known opposition leaders were barred from running in the election.