National holiday: Independence Day, 4 April (1960)
Constitution: 3 March 1963, revised 1991
Legal system: based on French civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court, which also audits the government's accounting office; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Abdou DIOUF (since 1 January 1981); election
last held 21 February 1993 (next to be held NA February 2000); results
- Abdou DIOUF (PS) 58.4%, Abdoulaye WADE (PDS) 32.03%, other 9.57%
head of government: Prime Minister Habib THIAM (since 7 April 1991)
cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the prime minister in
consultation with the president
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale): elections last held 9 May 1993 (next to be held NA May 1998); results - PS 70%, PDS 23%, other 7%; seats - (120 total) PS 84, PDS 27, LD-MPT 3, Let Us Unite Senegal 3, PIT 2, UDS-R 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Political parties and leaders: Socialist Party (PS), President Abdou
DIOUF; Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS), Abdoulaye WADE; Democratic
League-Labor Party Movement (LD-MPT), Dr. Abdoulaye BATHILY;
Independent Labor Party (PIT), Amath DANSOKHO; Senegalese Democratic
Union-Renewal (UDS-R), Mamadou Puritain FALL; Let Us Unite Senegal
(coalition of African Party for Democracy and Socialism and National
Democratic Rally); other small uninfluential parties
Other political or pressure groups: students; teachers; labor; Muslim
Brotherhoods
Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-15,
G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM
(observer), ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UN, UNAMIR, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIH, UNOMUR, UPU, WADB, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTO