Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Abdou DIOUF (since 1 January 1981) 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 elections : president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 21 February 1993 (next to be held NA February 2000); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Abdou DIOUF reelected president; percent of vote - Abdou DIOUF (PS) 58.4%, Abdoulaye WADE (PDS) 32.03%, other 9.57%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (120 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 9 May 1993 (next to be held NA May 1998) election results: percent of vote by party - PS 70%, PDS 23%, other 7%; seats by party - PS 84, PDS 27, LD-MPT 3, AND/JEF-PADS 3, PIT 2, UDS-R 1
Judicial branch: under the terms of a reform of the judicial system implemented in 1992, the principal organs of the judiciary are as follows; Constitutional Court; Council of State; Court of Final Appeals or Cour de Cessation; Court of Appeals
Political parties and leaders: African Party for Democracy and
Socialism or AND/JEF-PADS [Landing SAVANE, secretary-general];
Democratic League-Labor Party Movement or LD-MPT [Dr. Abdoulaye
BATHILY]; Democratic and Patriotic Convention or CDP Garab-Gi [Dr. Iba
Der THIAM]; Independent Labor Party or PIT [Amath DANSOKHO]; Let Us
Unite Senegal (coalition of African Party for Democracy and Socialism
and National Democratic Rally); National Democratic Rally or RND
[Madier DIOUF]; Senegalese Democratic Party or PDS [Abdoulaye WADE];
Senegalese Democratic Union-Renewal or UDS-R [Mamadou Puritain FALL];
Socialist Party or PS [President Abdou DIOUF]; other small
uninfluential parties
Political pressure groups and leaders: students; teachers; labor;
Muslim Brotherhoods
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA,
ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UN, UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UPU, WADB, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Mamadou Mansour SECK chancery: 2112 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone : [1] (202) 234-0540, 0541
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Dane Farnsworth SMITH, Jr. (5 August 1996) embassy: Avenue Jean XXIII at the corner of Avenue Kleber, Dakar mailing address: B. P. 49, Dakar telephone: [221] 23 42 96, 23 34 24 FAX: [221] 22 29 91
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; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia