President Abdoulaye Wade, a favorite in Senegal's presidential elections

Reports from Senegal say at least three people have been injured in clashes between supporters of rival presidential candidates ahead of Sunday's elections.

Witnesses say supporters of President Abdoulaye Wade attacked supporters of former Prime Minister Idrissa Seck as they passed in a convoy of vehicles late Wednesday.  Several cars were destroyed in the violence in Senegal's capital, Dakar.

The attackers were said to be devotees of an influential religious leader, Bethio Thioune.

Senegal is preparing for presidential elections on Sunday.  Seck is one of 14 candidates challenging President Wade in the vote.

Idrissa Seck, former prime minister on a campaign poster

A veteran politician in his eighties, President Wade has been in power since winning Senegal's 2000 elections.

Seck was a popular prime minister until he was removed from office by the president in 2004.  Afterwards, he spent seven months in jail on embezzlement charges.

Seck has created his own party called "Rewmi" which means country and allied himself with other opposition parties in the West African nation.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.