Voters in the West African nation of Senegal go to the polls on Sunday to elect their next president.

Octogenarian incumbent Abdoulaye Wade is up against 14 candidates as he seeks a second term in office.

Mr Wade narrowly won elections in 2000, but has come under pressure in recent months over high rural unemployment.

Other leading contenders are Moustapha Niasse and the youthful Idrissa Seck, who have both served as prime minister in Mr Wade's administration.

Ousmane Tanor Dieng, who served under the previous president, Abdou Diouf, is also seen as a strong contender. Dakar clashes

Senegal, a predominately Muslim nation, is seen as a rare model of stable democracy in Africa. Polls in 2000 passed off peacefully. Presidential contenders Q&A: Senegal polls

This time five million people will be eligible to vote, using a new electronic voting system.

Voting will begin at 0800GMT and go on for 10 hours at more than 11,000 polling stations.

The BBC's Will Ross in Dakar says that although Mr Wade is seen by many as the favourite, there are several unknown factors.

The number of voters has almost doubled since the last election and there have been no independent opinion polls.

And with so many candidates, it may be extremely hard for any of them to get the 50% of votes needed to win outright in a first round, our correspondent says.

Campaigning has been for the most part peaceful.

But earlier this week, clashes in the capital, Dakar, between rival supporters of Mr Wade and Mr Seck left five people seriously injured.