Senegal: Background and U.S. Relations

Abstract

Senegal, a small, semi-arid nation on West Africa s Atlantic coast, has long been viewed as one of the region s most stable democracies. However, recent political trends have raised concerns among analysts and policymakers. Attention is currently focused on plans by President Abdoulaye Wade (pronounced wahd ), 85, to run for a third term in elections scheduled for February 26, 2012. Opponents claim that Wade s candidacy is unconstitutional, pointing to a twoterm limit in Senegal s 2001 constitution. However, Wade s eligibility to run was upheld in late January by Senegal s Constitutional Council, which ruled that the constitutional provision did not apply to Wade s first term in office (2000-2007), since the 2001 constitution was promulgated during his first term. The dispute has sparked demonstrations and rioting, leading analysts to question Senegal s stability and the potential for a free and fair vote.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 20, 2012
Accession Number
ADA559710

Entities

People

  • Alexis Arieff

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Civil Rights
  • Climate Change
  • Criminals
  • Ethnic Groups
  • Governments
  • Health Services
  • International Organizations
  • Law
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Police
  • Societies
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • United States
  • Urban Areas

Readers

  • Criminal Law
  • International Relations, focusing on Korea-Africa and North Korea-South Korea relations, and Nigeria-Latin American Relations.
  • Strategic Security Studies