Vote shows political maturity of Senegal’s people

A senior Iranian Foreign Ministry official says the holding of a presidential election in Senegal and the considerable participation of the Senegalese in the poll shows their “high level of political maturity.” “The Islamic Republic of Iran expresses happiness about the democratic holding of presidential elections in Senegal and congratulates the victory of Macky Sall as the country’s fourth president,” said the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Tuesday, IRNA reported. He also wished success for the West African country’s new president, expressing hope that Senegal will see further development and progress during his presidency. Amir-Abdollahian further pointed to the deep historical and cultural bonds of friendship between Iran and Senegal and described the expansion of relations with friendly countries based on mutual interests as one of the strategic pillars of the Islamic Republic. Sall won Senegal’s run-off presidential election with over 65 percent of the vote while his rival, incumbent President Abdoulaye Wade, conceded defeat after garnering around 35 percent of the ballots.