CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
by J.V. Assani, Paris, October 1998
THEME = POLITICS
Senegal's politicians flaunt themselves on the banks of the River Seine
Senegal's politicians took time off from their own country for a few days and made for the River Seine in Paris. On 21 October, Abdou Diouf, President of Senegal, was welcomed to the gilded halls of the Bourbon Palace, home of the French National Assembly. It's the first time a Head of State from sub-Saharan Africa received this honour.
But President Diouf and his colleagues were not the only politicians from Senegal to make the autumn trip to Paris. Opposition leaders also took Paris-bound flights, some journeys lasting as much as 24 hours.
Well-known opposition leaders such as Abdoulaye Wade, national secretary-general of the Democratic Party of Senegal (PDS); Amath Dansokho, secretary-general of the Party for Independence and Labour (PIT); Amath Bathily, secretary-general of the Democratic League-Movement for the Workers' Party (LD- MPT); Landing Savané, president of Working Together (in the Wolof language - "And Jof")/African Party for Democracy and Socialism (AJ/PADS), were all in Paris. Making a last-minute entry was Djibo Ka, formally a leading light in the Socialist Party and thwarted successor to President Abdou Diouf who opted for Ousmane Tanor Dieng, first secretary of the Socialist Party.
Once inside the Bourbon Palace and in the presence of leading figures from France's establishment, President Diouf paid tribute to Members of Parliament (MP)s from Senegal who at one time or another, during the period 1914-1959, were MPs in the French National Assembly. Blaise Diagne, Galandou Diouf, Lamine Gučye, Léopold Sédar Senghor, Abbas Gučye and Mamadou Dia are all to be numbered among this illustrious company. "They were worthy representatives of Senegal, Africa and France". The President also recalled the on-going friendship between France and Senegal and the benefits from belonging to the French-speaking Union (La Francophonie). He then proceeded to extol the virtues of democracy, respect for human rights, political stability, the importance of preventing conflicts and maintaining peace. He continued: "Senegal is in the continual process of building up within its frontiers, a country living according to the rule of law".
Not everyone agreed with these sentiments because at the same time the President was speaking, a protest demonstration was taking place behind the Bourbon Palace.
27 Senegalese opposition MPs, together with about 200 supporters and well-wishers, were surrounded by the State Security Police (CRS). The demonstrators condemned Abdou Diouf's manipulation of Senegal's Constitution and his seizure of power. Diouf has been President for 18 years and will most probably be a candidate for the year 2000 presidential elections, and a potential candidate for the year 2007 presidential elections - which would be the last straw!
The Opposition reproaches Diouf for having profited by his parliamentary majority to push through a Constitutional Reform. This reform does two things: It now limits the presidential mandate to two terms of seven years each; it suppresses the stipulation according to which, during a presidential election, a second round is organised if, at the end of the first round, the candidate leading in the election has less than 25% of votes cast.
During the press conference which followed his speech to the French MPs, Abdou Diouf said that even if there had been no changes to the Constitution, he would have had the right to become a candidate in the year 2000 presidential elections.
The Opposition has to agree with him on this point. Why? Because, as we've already said, in order to safeguard the presidential succession, politicians of all parties had come to an understanding in 1992 on the following: "The presidential mandate will last for seven years and can only be renewed once." The Constitution had accordingly been amended along the same lines. Previously, the presidential mandate was for five years and could be renewed any number of times. But a first Bill introduced by the Socialist Party had advocated the seven-year period, renewable. That's why a consensus had to be found.
We've not yet arrived at the elections for the year 2000 and we've already explained that President Diouf has the right to stand as a candidate, so what's the problem? It seems it's something to do with disagreements within his own party. The Head of State wants to exert pressure on some of his fellow-party members and other followers of Djibo Ka, and force them to toe the party line. These people are already showing him the exit, as far as the presidency is concerned. They're intent on convincing Diouf that his presidential career is drawing to a close, if not now, at least in 15 months' time at the next election.
According to most opposition members, President Diouf wants to proclaim to all and sundry that he is committed to democracy. So, he set forth on the campaign trail...from Paris. But the opposition have no intention of letting him off the hook. "Even if he goes to the North Pole, we'll be there", says Abdoulaye Wade. For a number of days, Senegalese opposition mounted "counter-offensive" tactics by meeting with various MPs from the French National Assembly, including the majority socialist group and the president of the France-Senegal friendship group. Meetings were organised with the Senegalese community in Paris and the suburbs.
Full use has been made of the current political scenario. At the end of October, the Senegalese political big shots rubbed shoulders with their opposite numbers from Guinea-Bissau. The politicians from Guinea-Bissau asked their colleagues from Senegal to mediate in Guinea-Bissau's present internal conflict and to pressurise President Diouf into withdrawing the Senegalese forces from Guinea-Bissau.
Now it's November, and President Diouf and the other "travellers" are back in Dakar. The battle continues at home. Let's see what happens!
END
CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
PeaceLink 1998 - Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgement