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00:00 Voters queue up in Dakar hoping to turn their country's fortunes around.
00:04 "We're hoping that everything gets sorted out and that things go well for Senegal, and
00:11 that God gives us a good president who will run Senegal well and put people back to work."
00:18 One issue that's high on the menu is fish.
00:21 Not only is it used in Thieboudienne, the national dish, but the fishing economy employs
00:26 a fifth of Senegal.
00:28 "The carpenter, or the fishmonger, or the women who sell the fish, or the coffee seller,
00:34 the gas station attendant, the ice factory, all depend on the fishermen."
00:39 Catches have halved in the past two decades, with many Senegalese blaming overfishing by
00:44 foreign companies.
00:46 It's one of the factors leaving the economy in a bad state, with food and energy prices
00:51 driven higher by the war in Ukraine and widespread unemployment.
00:55 Seeking better fortunes, tens of thousands have embarked on life-threatening journeys
01:00 up the west coast of Africa towards the Canary Islands.
01:04 Just as fragile as the economy is Senegal's democracy, which was considered one of West
01:09 Africa's most stable.
01:12 Months of unrest culminated in an unsuccessful attempt by President Macky Sall to postpone
01:17 the election.
01:18 Among a wave of coup d'etats in the region in recent years, Senegal has so far avoided
01:24 a similar fate.
01:26 There are 17 candidates and the race is wide open.
01:29 A run-off round is likely, and the people of Senegal expect whoever wins to boost the
01:33 economy with recently discovered oil and gas reserves and steady the ship of democracy.
01:39 [BLANK_AUDIO]