Senegal to elect its next president after months of unrest

Senegalese are heading to the polls Sunday to vote in a tightly contested presidential race marred by months of unrest that threatened democracy in one of West Africa’s most stable nations. The election will take place after much uncertainty following President Macky Sall’s unsuccessful effort to delay the Feb. 25 vote until the end of the year — and then announcing a surprise amnesty for political prisoners. Sunday’s election is set to be Senegal’s fourth democratic transfer of power since it gained independence from France in 1960.