Timeline of Sénégalese History: 1958-2000
Introduction | Maps and Statistics | Timeline of Sénégalese History

 

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• 1958: Founding by Léopold Sédar Senghor of Union Progressiste Sénégalaise(UPS), a political party serving the interests of business, Islamic leaders, and socialists.
Senghor was also a published poet.


• 1960: Sénégal gains independence from France after 300 years of French rule; Senghor becomes the first president.



• 1963: New constitution, giving president greater powers, is adopted.



• 1970: Office of Prime Minister is reinstated; post is given to Abdou Diouf



• 1974: Parti démocratique sénégalaise (PDS) political party is formed, led by Abdoulaye Wade



• 1976: 3-party system is announced, made up of UPS (renamed Parti socialiste or PS), PDS, and a Marxist-Leninist party; the instatement of the system is moderately successful.



• 1978: 4th party recognized: Mouvement républicain sénégalaise.



• 1980: Senghor resigns the presidency.



• 1981: Diouf becomes president of Sénégal and secretary-general of PS.



• 1982: Sénégal and Gambia form a political confederation.



• 1988: Elections cause severe political unrest; Diouf, who had again been reelected as president, pardons those arrested during the incident.



• 1989: Violent conflict with Mauritania, relations remain strained today; dispute with Guinea-Bissau over maritime zone creates tensions which last for several years; confederation of Gambia and Sénégal is dissolved, and relations between the two countries have been variable ever since.



• 1991: Some political reforms are introduced, including reinstatement of post of prime minister and term limits on the presidency.



• 1992: Wade and other PDS members resign from government, citing unfair practices by ruling party in government and media.



• 1993: Diouf reelected, amid demonstrations and unrest; after elections, Vice President of constitutional council, Babacar Seye, is assassinated.



• 1994:CFA Franc, Sénégalese monetary unit, devalues by 1/2, leading to financial hardship, demonstrations, and unrest.



• 1995: Government, through Diouf, invites Wade to return to government; Wade becomes the minister of state and other PDS members also receive posts; Jacques Chirac, French president, visits Diouf.



• 1996: Diouf elected party chairman of PS; Sénégal and Gambia introduce better trade relations; Sénégal reopens formal diplomacy with Taiwan for the first time since 1971. In response, the People's Republic of China ends relations and assistance projects with Sénégal.



• 1997: ONEL, the Observatoire national des élections, is formed to oversee and control elections according to current laws; members of ONEL are appointed by Diouf, which causes protests from PDS and other opposition parties, who want an independent commission. Sénégal and Gambia improve relations further and plan joint actions against several social problems.



• 1998: PDS withdraws from government again in protest against some legislative actions; Clinton, the president of the United States, visits Sénégal and encourages US-African cooperative peace-keeping strategies.



• 2000: Abdoulaye Wade, leader of PDS, is elected president, ending 40 years of Socialist Party rule. He sets up a 12-month transitional government rule, during which time a new constitution limiting the powers of the presidency and turning Sénégal into a parliamentary democracy will be drawn up. The elections are praised by French president Jacques Chirac, who says that Sénégal's "peaceful elections...set a democratic example for the whole of Africa" (France's Chirac).

 

Sources:

Africa South of the Sahara 1999 (28th edition), published in London by Europa Publications Limited, copyright date 1998. Reuters.

Sénégal: A New Leader. The New York Times. March 21, 2000. Page A7.

CNN.com - Africa