Senegal on Sunday held a referendum on sweeping constitutional reforms, including cutting the presidential term from seven to five years.
Senegal’s president Macky Sall was elected in 2012 partly on a platform to reduce the presidential mandate from seven years to five.
But Senegal’s top court rejected his proposal last month, triggering a referendum that would allow the reforms to come into force once Sall leaves office in 2019.
However opposition who are urging people to vote “No” say Sall reneged on his promise to leave office early and are criticizing the referendum as a cop-out.
Other reforms under the new referendum include defining the role for the leader of opposition and also the establishment of an advisory council to help in oversight on the executive.
There were no queues and few voters visible in polling stations visited by AFP in areas of the capital in the early morning. The situation was much the same after midday.
No official turnout was immediately given after polls closed at 1800 GMT, but it was hovering around 25 percent in the afternoon.
“Voters are trickling in,” said an official in a polling station. An Electoral Commission spokesman added: “Enthusiasm is not as high as during legislative or presidential elections.”
The first official results are expected on Monday at the earliest.
