Senegal: Government#
| Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Senegal conventional short form: Senegal local long form: Republique du Senegal local short form: Senegal former: Senegambia (along with The Gambia), Mali Federation etymology: named for the Senegal River that forms the northern border of the country; many theories exist for the origin of the river name; perhaps the most widely cited derives the name from "Azenegue," the Portuguese appellation for the Berber Zenaga people who lived north of the river |
|---|---|
| Government type | presidential republic |
| Capital | Dakar
Dakar
geographic coordinates: 14 44 N, 17 38 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) |
| Administrative divisions | 14 regions (regions, singular - region); Dakar, Diourbel, Fatick, Kaffrine, Kaolack, Kedougou, Kolda, Louga, Matam, Saint-Louis, Sedhiou, Tambacounda, Thies, Ziguinchor |
| Independence | 4 April 1960 (from France); note - complete independence achieved upon dissolution of federation with Mali on 20 August 1960 |
| National holiday | Independence Day, 4 April (1960) |
| Constitution | previous 1959 (preindependence), 1963; latest adopted by referendum 7 January 2001, promulgated 22 January 2001; amended many times, last in 2016 (2016) |
| Legal system | civil law system based on French law; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Court |
| International law organization participation | accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Citizenship | citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Senegal dual citizenship recognized: no, but Senegalese citizens do not automatically lose their citizenship if they acquire citizenship in another state residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: President Macky SALL (since 2 April 2012) head of government: Prime Minister Mohammed Abdallah Boun DIONNE (since 4 July 2014) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the president elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second consecutive term); election last held on 26 February 2012 with a runoff on 25 March 2012 (next to be held in 2019); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Macky SALL elected president; percent of vote in runoff - Macky SALL (Alliance for the Republic-Yakaar) 65.8%, Abdoulaye WADE (PDS) 34.2% |
| Legislative branch | description: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (150 seats; 90 members directly elected in single- and multi-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 60 directly elected in single- and multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms) elections: National Assembly - last held on 1 July 2012 (next to be held in 2017) election results: National Assembly results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Benno Bokk Yakaar coalition 119, PDS 12, Bokk Gis Gis coalition 4, MCRN-Bes Du Nakk 4, PVD 2, MRSD 2, URD 1, AJ/PADS 1, other 5 |
| Judicial branch | highest court(s): Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (consists of the president and 12 judges and organized into civil and commercial, criminal, administrative, and social chambers); Constitutional Council or Conseil Constitutionelle (consists of 5 members including the court president, vice-president, and 3 judges) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges' appointed by the president of the republic upon recommendation of the Higher Council of the Judiciary, a body chaired by the president; judge tenure NA; Constitutional Council members appointed by the president to serve 6-year terms with the renewal of 2 members every 2 years subordinate courts: High Court of Justice (for crime of high treason by the president); Courts of Appeal; Court of Auditors; assize courts (4); regional and district Courts, Labor Court |
| Political parties and leaders | Alliance for the Republic-Yakaar or APR-Yakaar (Macky SALL) Alliance of Forces of Progress or AFP (Moustapha NIASSE) And-Jef/African Party for Democracy and Socialism or AJ/PADS (Mamadou DIOP) And-Jef/African Party for Democracy and Socialism or AJ/PADS-A (Landing SAVANE) Bokk Gis Gis coalition (Pape DIOP) Citizen Movement for National Reform or MCRN-Bes Du Nakk Democratic League-Labor Party Movement or LD-MPT (Mamadou NDOYE) Front for Socialism and Democracy/Benno Jubel or FSD/BJ (Cheikh Abdoulaye Bamba DIEYE) Gainde Centrist Bloc or BGC (Jean-Paul DIAS) Grand Party or GP (Malick GACKOU) Independence and Labor Party or PIT (Magatte THIAM) Jef-Jel (Talla SYLLA) National Democratic Rally or RND (Madior DIOUF) Party for Truth and Development or PVD (Cheikh Ahmadou Kara MBAKE) People's Labor Party or PTP (El Hadji DIOUF) Reform Party or PR (Abdourahim AGNE) Republican Movement for Socialism and Democracy or MRSD Rewmi Party (Idrissa SECK) Senegalese Democratic Party or PDS (Abdoulaye WADE) Socialist Party or PS (Ousmane Tanor DIENG) Union for Democratic Renewal or URD (Djibo Leyti KA) |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | other: Catholic clergy; labor; religious groups; students; Sufi brotherhoods, including the Mourides and Tidjanes; teachers |
| International organization participation | ACP, AfDB, AU, CD, CPLP (associate), ECOWAS, EITI (candidate country), FAO, FZ, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSMA, MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Babacar DIAGNE (since 18 November 2014) embassy: 2215 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: (1) (202) 234-0540 FAX: (1) (202) 629-2961 consulate(s) general: Houston, New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador James P. ZUMWALT (since 9 January 2015); note - also accredited to Guinea-Bissau embassy: Route des Almadies, Dakar mailing address: B.P. 49, Dakar telephone: (221) 33-879-4000 FAX: (221) 33-822-2991 |
| Flag description | three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red with a small green five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; green represents Islam, progress, and hope; yellow signifies natural wealth and progress; red symbolizes sacrifice and determination; the star denotes unity and hope note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia; the colors from left to right are the same as those of neighboring Mali and the reverse of those on the flag of neighboring Guinea |
| National symbol(s) | lion; national colors: green, yellow, red |
| National anthem | name: "Pincez Tous vos Koras, Frappez les Balafons" (Pluck Your Koras, Strike the Balafons) lyrics/music: Leopold Sedar SENGHOR/Herbert PEPPER note: adopted 1960; lyrics written by Leopold Sedar SENGHOR, Senegal's first president; the anthem sometimes played incorporating the Koras (harp-like stringed instruments) and Balafons (types of xylophones) mentioned in the title |