Brussels, 17/02/2012 (Agence Europe) - Christian Dan Preda (EPP, Romania) is to head the European Parliament delegation which, since 16 February, is taking part in the EU electoral observation mission (EOM) for the presidential election in Senegal on 26 February (see EUROPE 10545 and 10535). Fourteen candidates are running, including outgoing President Abdoulaye Wade, since the constitutional council validated his candidature and invalidated that of Youssou Ndour. With just ten days to go before the ballot, skirmishes have increased in the capital, Dakar, with the arrest on Thursday 16 February of leaders of the young citizens' movement “Y'n a marre”, which had defied the ban on protests. Although Abdoulaye Wade is opposed to the idea of a second round, it is likely that none of the 14 candidates will win over 50% of the votes in the first round. (AN/transl.jl)