Abdou Diouf

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Abdou Diouf
2nd President of Senegal
In office January 1, 1981 – April 1, 2000
Preceded by	Léopold Sédar Senghor
Succeeded by	Abdoulaye Wade
Born	September 7, 1935 Saint-Louis, Senegal
Political party	Socialist Party of Senegal

Abdou Diouf (Wolof: Abdu Juuf) (born September 7, 1935) was the second president of Senegal, serving from 1981 to 2000. Diouf is notable both for coming to power by peaceful succession, and leaving willingly after losing the 2000 elections to Abdoulaye Wade.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Political career 3 Presidency 3.1 1983 and 1988 Elections 3.2 Senegambia 3.3 Response to AIDS 3.4 1993 and 2000 Elections 4 International organizations 5 Trivia 6 References

[edit] Early life

Diouf was born in Louga, Senegal, a child of an Hal Pulaar mother and a Serere father. He went to primary and secondary school at the Lycée Faidherbe in Saint-Louis, and studied law at Dakar University and then at the Sorbonne, Paris. Diouf graduated in 1959.^[1]

[edit] Political career

After graduation, Diouf returned to Senegal, where in September 1960 he was appointed director of international technical cooperation. In November of that year he was appointed assistant secretary-general to government and secretary-general to the defense ministry. He joined the Union Progressiste Sénégalaise (UPS) in 1961. In December 1961 he became goveror of the Sine Saloum region until December 1962, when he became President Léopold Senghor's chief of cabinet. At this time Diouf was twenty-seven. He continued to move up in the government, being promoted to the Socialist Party of Senegal and eventually becoming minister of planning and industry.^[2]

[edit] Presidency

In 1970 Senghor reinstated the post of prime minister, giving it to Diouf, his protégé. Senghor trusted Diouf, Diouf had administrative experience, and also no independent power base of his own.^[3] This was important, for Senghor's last prime minister had used the position to launch a coup d’état. On January 1, 1981, Senghor resigned in favor of Diouf, who became president of Senegal.

[edit] 1983 and 1988 Elections

Diouf continued the political liberalization Senghor had begun by holding elections in 1983. He allowed fourteen opposition parties to run, instead of the four Senghor had allowed. The practical effect of this was to fragment the opposition, and Diouf won with 83.5 percent of the vote.^[4]

In 1985, opposing parties tried to form a coalition. It was broken up on the grounds that coalitions were forbidden by the constitution.^[5] Also in 1985, Abdoulaye Wade, Diouf's main political opponent, was temporarily arrested for unlawful demonstration.^[6]

In February, 1988, elections were held again. Diouf won 72.3 percent of the vote to Wade's 25.8 percent, and opposing parties alleged electoral fraud. Disturbances followed, and Diouf declared a state of emergancy, detaining Wade again until May of that year.^[7]

[edit] Senegambia

Under Diouf, Senegal agreed to form a confederation called Senegambia with neighboring Gambia on December 12, 1981; this union took place on February 1, 1982. In April 1989, the Mauritania-Senegal Border War developed, leading to an outbreak of ethnic violence and the severing of diplomatic relations with Mauritania. As the region destabilized, Senegambia was dissolved.

[edit] Response to AIDS

In 1986, Diouf began an anti-AIDS program in Senegal, before the virus was able to take off in earnest. He used the media and schools to promote safe-sex messages, and required prostitutes to be registered. He also encouraged civic organizations and both Christian and Muslim religious leaders to raise awareness about AIDS. The result was that while AIDS was decimating much of Africa, the infection rate for Senegal stayed below 2 per cent.^[8]

[edit] 1993 and 2000 Elections

Diouf was reelected in February 1993 with 58% of the vote^[9] to a 7-year term; presidential term lengths had been extended by two years in 1991.^[10] In the first round of the 2000 elections, on February 27, he took 41.3% of the vote against 30.1% for the long-time opposition leader Abdoulaye Wade, but in the second round on March 19 he received only 41.5% against 58.5% for Wade.^[9] After this defeat, Diouf handed power to Wade on April 1.

From this electoral defeat came one of Diouf's greatest contributions to African peace, for he gracefully surrendered power to Abdoulaye Wade, his long-time rival. When Diouf left office Wade said he should receive a Nobel Peace Prize for leaving without violence.^[11]

[edit] International organizations

Both during and after his presidency, Diouf has been active in international organizations. He was elected president of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) for 1985 to 1986. Soon after his election, he made a personal plea to François Mitterrand, the president of France, resulting in France speaking strongly for sanctions against South Africa. In 1992, he was re-elected president of the OAU again for another year-long term. Since 2003, he has been the secretary-general of La Francophonie. He was re-elected to that post for another four years at the organization's summit in Bucharest in September 2006.^[12]

[edit] Trivia

Diouf has always been a very tall man, towering above his peers. He is 6 ft 6 inches (198cm) in height.

[edit] References

1. ^ Rake, African Leaders: Guiding the New Millinium, p. 193. Scarecrow Press, Inc, 2001.
2. ^ Rake, African Leaders: Guiding the New Millinium, p. 193. Scarecrow Press, Inc, 2001.
3. ^ Rake, African Leaders: Guiding the New Millinium, p. 193. Scarecrow Press, Inc, 2001.
4. ^ Ungar, Africa: The People and Politics of an Emerging Continent, p. 346. Simon and Schusyer, Inc, 1978.
5. ^ Rake, African Leaders: Guiding the New Millinium, p. 194. Scarecrow Press, Inc, 2001.
6. ^ Arnold, Africa: A Modern History, p. 688. Atlantic Books, 2005.
7. ^ Rake, African Leaders: Guiding the New Millinium, p. 195. Scarecrow Press, Inc, 2001.
8. ^ Meredith, The Fate of Africa, p.367. Published by PublicAffaires, 2005.
9. ^ ^{a b} Elections in Senegal, African Elections Database.
10. ^ Human Rights in Developing Countries Yearbook 1997, page 276.
11. ^ Rake, African Leaders: Guiding the New Millinium, p. 196. Scarecrow Press, Inc, 2001.
12. ^ "Diouf re-elected OIF Secretary General for four years", Angola Press, September 30, 2006.

Preceded by Post Abolished	Prime Minister of Senegal 26 February 1970 – 31 December 1980	Succeeded by Habib Thiam
Preceded by Léopold Sédar Senghor	President of Senegal 1 January 1981 – 1 April 2000	Succeeded by Abdoulaye Wade