The president of Senegal (French: Président du Sénégal) is the head of state and head of government of Senegal. In accordance with the constitutional reform of 2001 and since a referendum that took place on 20 March 2016, the president is elected for a 5-year term, with a limit of two consecutive terms. The following is a list of presidents of Senegal, since the country gained independence from France in 1960.
| President of the Republic of Senegal Président de la République du Sénégal | |
|---|---|
 | |
.jpg) | |
| Residence | Palace of the Republic |
| Term length | 5 years, renewable once |
| Inaugural holder | Léopold Sédar Senghor |
| Formation | 6 September 1960 |
| Salary | 9,278,556 West African CFA francs annually[1] |
| Website | presidence.sn |
Election process
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (April 2024) |
Inauguration
editThe Senegalese Constitution provides the following oath for the president which must be taken before they enter into office:
"I swear, before God and the people of Senegal, to faithfully execute the office of president of the republic of Senegal, to keep the provisions of the Constitution and laws and to ensure their observance, to devote all my strength to defending constitutional institutions, to defend Senegal's territorial integrity and its independence, and [I swear] to spare no effort to realize the unity of Africa".[2]
Term
editTerm duration
editIn 1991, presidential term lengths were extended from five to seven years.[3]
In January 2001, during Abdoulaye Wade's first term, a constitutional referendum reduced the presidential term back to five years.[4]
In July 2008, during Wade's second term, the National Assembly approved a constitutional amendment increasing the length of the presidential term back to seven years, as it was prior to the adoption of the 2001 constitution. This extension did not apply to Abdoulaye Wade's 2007–2012 term.[5][6]
In 2016, during Macky Sall's first term, per another constitutional referendum, the length of the presidential term was decreased back to five years. The amendments were adopted in constitutional law № 2016-10.[7][8]
Term limits
editAs of 2021, there is a two-term limit for the president in the Constitution of Senegal. Abdoulaye Wade was controversially allowed to run for president in 2012 following the 2008 constitutional amendment, but lost re-election to Macky Sall.[9]
Privileges
editBuildings
edit
The Palace of the Republic (French: Palais de la République) is the presidential residence, located in Dakar in the Plateau district. After having been the official residence of the Governor-General of French West Africa. The construction of the palace in its first state was ordered in 1902 by Gaston Doumergue, Minister of the Colonies, to house in the capital the Governor General of French West Africa who was then residing in Saint-Louis. The architect was Henri Deglane.[10]
List of officeholders
edit- Political parties
- Symbols
§ Elected unopposed
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Elected | Term of office | Political party | Prime minister(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||
| 1 | 
|
Léopold Sédar Senghor (1906–2001) |
1960[§] 1963[§] 1968[§] 1973[§] 1978 |
6 September 1960 | 31 December 1980 | 20 years, 116 days | PSS | Mamadou Dia Abdou Diouf |
| 2 | 
|
Abdou Diouf (born 1935) |
1983 1988 1993 |
1 January 1981 | 1 April 2000 | 19 years, 91 days | PSS | Habib Thiam Moustapha Niasse Habib Thiam Mamadou Lamine Loum |
| 3 | .jpg)
|
Abdoulaye Wade (born 1926) |
2000 2007 |
1 April 2000 | 2 April 2012 | 12 years, 1 day | PDS | Moustapha Niasse Mame Madior Boye Idrissa Seck Macky Sall Cheikh Hadjibou Soumaré Souleymane Ndéné Ndiaye |
| 4 | .jpg)
|
Macky Sall (born 1961) |
2012 2019 |
2 April 2012 | 2 April 2024 | 12 years | APR | Abdoul Mbaye Aminata Touré Mohamed Dionne Amadou Ba Sidiki Kaba |
| 5 |
|
Bassirou Diomaye Faye (born 1980) |
2024 | 2 April 2024 | Incumbent | 212 days | PASTEF | Sidiki Kaba Ousmane Sonko |
Timeline
edit
Latest election
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^ "The highest and lowest paid African presidents – Business Daily". Business Daily. 27 December 2020.
- ^ "Senegal: All you need to know about the Apr 2nd presidential inauguration". Africanews. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- ^ Human Rights in Developing Countries Yearbook 1997, page 276.
- ^ "Elections in Senegal". africanelections.tripod.com. African Elections Database. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
Main Points: Reduction of Presidential term from 7 to 5 years
- ^ "afrol News – Senegal approves presidential term extension". www.afrol.com. afrol News. 30 July 2008. Archived from the original on 9 December 2008. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
- ^ "Titre III : Du Président de la République". Gouvernement du Sénégal. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
- ^ Macky SALL; Mahammed Boun Abdallah DIONNE (5 April 2016). "Loi constitutionnelle n° 2016-10 du 05 avril 2016 portant révision de la Constitution" (in French). JOURNAL OFFICIEL DU SENEGAL. Archived from the original on 31 March 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
Article 27. – La durée du mandat du Président de la République est de cinq ans.
- ^ "Senegal referendum approves shorter presidential terms". BBC News. 23 March 2016. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
- ^ Cook, Candace; Siegle, Joseph. "Circumvention of Term Limits Weakens Governance in Africa". Africa Center for Strategic Studies.
- ^ "Palais Présidentiel / Sénégal". www.au-senegal.com. Retrieved 18 June 2023.