Senegal: Peaceful elections

Religious leaders hailed Senegal's presidential run-off election as a model for democracy in Africa.

After a peaceful March 25 election, Abdoulaye Wade conceded defeat to opposition candidate Macky Sall.

It had widely been feared that Wade, 85, who has been president for 12 years, would cling to power.

"What [Wade] has done is rare and extraordinary and deserves public affirmation given the fact that the majority of African leaders continue the unsupportable habit of disregarding constitutional order," said Ishmael Noko, a Lutheran pastor and president of the Interfaith Action for Peace in Africa.