GOVERNMENT
Senegal is a secular republic with a strong presidency, bi-cameral legislature, reasonably independent judiciary, and multiple political parties. Senegal is one of the few African states that has never experienced a coup d’état. As noted above, power was transferred peacefully, if not altogether democratically, from Senghor to Diouf in 1981, and once again, this time in fully democratic elections, from Diouf to Wade in March 2000.
The president is elected by universal adult suffrage to a 5-year term. The Bi-cameral Parliament has a National Assembly with150 members, who are elected separately from the president and a Senate with 100 members of which 35 are elected and 65 are chosen by the President. The Socialist Party dominated the National Assembly until April 2001, when in free and fair legislative elections President Wade’s coalition won a majority (89 of 120 seats). The Cour de Cassation (Highest Appeals Court, equivalent to the U.S. Supreme Court) and the Constitutional Council, the justices of which are named by the president, are the nation's highest tribunals. Senegal is divided into 14 administrative regions, each headed by a governor appointed by and responsible to the president. The law on decentralization, which came into effect in January 1997, distributed significant central government authority to regional assemblies.
Senegal’s principal political party was for 40 years the Socialist Party (PS). Its domination of political life came to an end in March 2000, when Abdoulaye Wade, the leader of the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS) and leader of the opposition for more than 25 years, won the presidency. Under the terms of the 2001 constitution, future presidents will serve for 5 years and be limited to two terms. Wade was the last President to be elected to a 7-year term.
On February 25, 2007 President Abdoulaye Wade (pronounced "wahd") won 56 percent of the vote in a field of 15 candidates, with 73 percent of registered voters going to the polls. Twice-postponed parliamentary elections took place on June 3, but most of the major opposition parties boycotted them, allowing the ruling Senegalese Democratic party (PDS) and its allies to capture 131 of the 150 seats in the National Assembly that met for the first time on June 20. In 2000 and 2007, Wade won open, peaceful and highly competitive elections due to a strong Senegalese national desire for change after nearly 40 years of Socialist Party governments. Having come under tough scrutiny and criticism for not having realized many of his campaign promises, he has undertaken major public works projects that benefited him politically.
President Wade has advanced a liberal agenda for Senegal, including privatizations and other market-opening measures. He has a strong interest in raising Senegal's regional and international profile. The country, nevertheless, has limited means with which to implement ambitious ideas. The liberalization of the economy is proceeding, but at a slow pace. Senegal continues to play a significant role in regional and international organizations. President Wade has made excellent relations with the United States a high priority.
There are presently 72 registered political parties, most of which are marginal and little more than platforms for their leaders. The principal political parties, however, constitute a true multiparty, democratic political culture, and they have contributed to one of the most successful democratic transitions in Africa, even among all developing countries. A flourishing independent media, largely free from official or informal control, also contributes to the democratic politics of Senegal. The country’s generally tolerant culture, largely free from ethnic or religious tensions, has provided a resilient base for democratic politics.
Principal
Government Officials
President of the Republic--Abdoulaye Wade
President of the National Assembly--Macky Sall
President of the Senate--Pape Diop
President of the Constitutional Council--Mireille Ndiaye
Ambassador to the United States--Amadou Lamine Ba
Ambassador to the United Nations--Papa Louis Fall
Senegal
maintains an embassy in the United States at 2112 Wyoming Avenue,
NW, Washington, DC 20008 (tel. 202-234-0540), and a Mission to
the United Nations at 392 Fifth Avenue, 9th floor, New York, NY
10018 (tel. 212-517-9030).
Type: Republic.
Independence: April 4, 1960.
Constitution: March 3, 1963, last amended in 2001.
Branches: Executive--President (chief of state, commander in chief of armed forces).
Legislative—Bi-cameral parliament with a 150 member National Assembly and a 100 member Senate.
Judicial--Constitutional Council (appointed by the president from senior magistrates and eminent academics and attorneys), Court of Final Appeals, Council of State.
Administrative subdivisions: 14 regions, 34 departments, 320 rural councils.
Political parties: 72 political parties are registered, the most important of which are the Democratic Party of Senegal (PDS), Rewmi, Socialist Party (PS), the Alliance of Forces for Progress (AFP), "AND JEF/PADS", the Union for Democratic Renewal (URD), “JEF JEL”, the National Democratic Rally (RND), and the Independence and Labor Party (PIT).
Suffrage: Universal adult, over 18.
Central government budget (2007): revenues: $2.948 billion
expenditures: $3.036 billion; including capital expenditures of $1.302 billion
Defense (2007): $133 million
National holiday: April 4, Independence Day.
