Abdou Diouf

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Abdou Diouf bigraphy, stories - Senegalese President

Abdou Diouf : biography

September 7, 1935 –

Abdou Diouf ( Serer: Abdu Juuf; born September 7, 1935 .) is a Senegalese politician, and served as the second President of Senegal from 1981 to 2000. Diouf is notable both for coming to power by peaceful succession, and leaving willingly after losing the 2000 presidential election to Abdoulaye Wade. He has been the Secretary-General of La Francophonie since 2003.

Trivia

Diouf is a very tall man, at 6 ft 6 inches (198 cm) in height, he is the tallest ever world leader.

Political career

After graduation, Diouf returned to Senegal, where in September 1960 he was appointed Director of International Technical Cooperation. In November 1960 he became assistant of the Secretary-General of the Government, and in June 1961 he became Secretary-General of the Ministry of Defense.Rake, African Leaders: Guiding the New Millinium, p. 193. Scarecrow Press, Inc, 2001. In 1961 he joined the Senegalese Progressive Union (Union Progressiste Sénégalaise, UPS), which later became the Socialist Party of Senegal. In December 1961 he became Governor of the Sine-Saloum Region, serving in that position until December 1962, when he became Director of the Cabinet of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In May 1963 he was moved to the position of Director of the Cabinet of President Léopold Senghor, where he remained until December 1965. In January 1964 he became Secretary-General of the Presidency, serving in that post until March 1968, when he became Minister of Planning and Industry. He remained in the latter position until February 1970, when he was named Prime Minister.

Early life

Diouf was born in Louga, Senegal, the child of an Hal Pulaar mother and a Serere father. He went to primary and secondary school at the Lycée Faidherbe in Saint-Louis, and studied law at Dakar University and then at the Sorbonne, Paris. Diouf graduated in 1959.

Presidency

In 1970 Senghor reinstated the post of prime minister, giving it to Diouf, his protégé. Senghor trusted Diouf, who had administrative experience but no independent power base of his own.Rake, African Leaders: Guiding the New Millinium, p. 193. Scarecrow Press, Inc, 2001. This was important, for Senghor’s last prime minister Mamadou Dia was accused of using the position to launch a coup d’état. On January 1, 1981, Senghor resigned in favor of Diouf, who became president of Senegal.

1983 and 1988 elections

Diouf continued the political liberalization Senghor had begun by holding elections in 1983. He allowed fourteen opposition parties to run, instead of the four Senghor had allowed. The practical effect of this was to fragment the opposition, and Diouf won with 83.5 percent of the vote.Ungar, Africa: The People and Politics of an Emerging Continent, p. 346. Simon and Schusyer, Inc, 1978.

In 1985, opposing parties tried to form a coalition. It was broken up on the grounds that coalitions were forbidden by the constitution.Rake, African Leaders: Guiding the New Millinium, p. 194. Scarecrow Press, Inc, 2001. Also in 1985, Abdoulaye Wade, Diouf’s main political opponent, was temporarily arrested for unlawful demonstration.Arnold, Africa: A Modern History, p. 688. Atlantic Books, 2005.

In February, 1988, elections were held again. Diouf won 72.3 percent of the vote to Wade’s 25.8 percent, and opposing parties alleged electoral fraud. Disturbances followed, and Diouf declared a state of emergency, detaining Wade again until May of that year.Rake, African Leaders: Guiding the New Millinium, p. 195. Scarecrow Press, Inc, 2001.

Senegambia

Under Diouf, Senegal agreed to form a confederation called Senegambia with neighboring Gambia on December 12, 1981; this union took place on February 1, 1982. In April 1989, the Mauritania-Senegal Border War developed, leading to an outbreak of ethnic violence and the severing of diplomatic relations with Mauritania. As the region destabilized, Senegambia was dissolved.

Response to AIDS

In 1986, Diouf began an anti-AIDS program in Senegal, before the virus was able to take off in earnest. He used the media and schools to promote safe-sex messages, and required prostitutes to be registered. He also encouraged civic organizations and both Christian and Muslim religious leaders to raise awareness about AIDS. The result was that while AIDS was decimating much of Africa, the infection rate for Senegal stayed below 2 per cent.Meredith, The Fate of Africa, p.367. Published by PublicAffaires, 2005.