Hundreds of observers muster to make sure Senegal's presidential vote is fair

A banner encouraging people to vote in the upcoming presidential elections is displayed in Dakar, Senegal, on March 20, 2024. The message reads: "My card, my vote." © AP / Mosa'ab Elshamy

Senegal votes on Sunday in a presidential election that is expected to be the most tightly contested in years. Before polls opened, a team of a thousand observers drawn from civil society was preparing to monitor the long-awaited vote.

In Dakar, Senegal's capital, a team of volunteers were stationed behind laptops, phones to their ears.