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History and Government
History: In medieval times, parts of Senegal belonged to the empires of Mali, Ghana and Songhai. The first Portuguese explorers arrived in the 15th century, followed by French colonists in the 17th century. Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the Senegalese coast was a major landing point for the transatlantic and European trades in ivory, gold and slaves. In 1763, Senegal was ceded to Britain as part of the settlement of the Seven Years War (which was a dispute over North American territories) but returned to the French in 1817. In 1895, Senegal was incorporated into French West Africa. After World War II, it became a French Overseas Territory.
Senegal achieved full independence in 1960 after a brief and unsuccessful attempt to establish a union with neighbouring Mali. Léopold Senghor became the country’s first president that year, and remained in office until 1981, when he was replaced by Abdou Diouf who went on to hold the post for almost two decades. National politics were monopolised by the Parti Socialiste Sénégalais (PSS) from 1960 until 2000, although Senegal was never formally a one-party state and opposition parties and the media managed to operate more or less effectively at least some of the time. That said, the current president, Abdoulaye Wade of the Parti Démocratique Sénégalais (PDS), who defeated Diouf in the March 2000 poll, spent several periods as a political prisoner and in exile. The PDS formed an alliance with the smaller Communist party, known as Sopi (Change), to fight the April 2001 national assembly elections which they won by an absolute majority. Madior Boye of the PDS was appointed Prime Minister, but was sacked in the autumn 2002. This followed the tragic sinking of the ferry Joola in September 2002 in which over 1100 people died. Africa’s worst maritime disaster, this had a profound impact upon the country. Boye’s replacement was Idrissa Seck, an experienced PDS political fixer and long-time ally of President Wade.
Apart from the economy (see Business Profile section), the most pressing domestic problem for the PDS government is the continuing strife in the Casamance region of southern Senegal. The secessionists of the Casamance Movement of Democratic Forces have been fighting the Dakar government since 1984: despite an accord signed with the Government in August 2001 (brokered by Guinea-Bissau), secessionist hard-liners have refused to give up the fight.
Foreign policy is dominated by relations with The Gambia which – bar a short coastal strip – is completely surrounded by Senegal. Developments in Gambia have had a profound effect on Senegalese politics, typified by the aftermath of the 1981 attempted coup against the Gambian Jawara government. The following year, the Senegambian Confederation was formed, with the two major objectives of mutually guaranteed security and, at some future date, economic and monetary union. The project was racked by disputes between the two governments, and was peacefully dissolved in 1989. Relations between the two were poor during the early 1990s, and the 1994 coup in Gambia brought little reaction from Senegal. The Senegalese have since established a good working relationship with the new Gambian regime and have enjoyed increasingly close ties with its other neighbours. These include Mauritania, with whom Senegal almost went to war in 1992 over a multi-faceted dispute involving cross-border trade, refugees and ethnic rivalries.
Government: The President holds executive power and is elected (since amendments made to the electoral code in 1991) for a maximum of two seven-year terms. The unicameral National Assembly, which has 120 elected members and a five-year term of office, is responsible for legislation.
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