Freedom in the World 2001 - Senegal

2001 Scores

Status: Partly Free
Freedom Rating: 3.5
Civil Liberties: 4
Political Rights: 3

Ratings Change

Senegal's political rights raging changed from 4 to 3 following free and fair presidential elections that led to a peaceful transfer of power to an opposition candidate.

Overview

Four decades of rule by the Socialist Party came to an end in Senegal when veteran opposition leader Abdoulaye Wade defeated Abdou Diouf in presidential elections in March 2000. It was the fifth attempt by Wade, 74, of the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS), to win the presidency. For the first time in the nation's history, the presidential poll went to a runoff. The result could influence democracy elsewhere in Africa, encouraging voters to change their perception that they are powerless against long-time leaders.

Wade promised to try to end the 18-year rebellion in the southern Casamance region, where fighting between the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) and government troops continued in 2000. Serious abuses by both sides have been reported. Wade dismissed previous negotiators in the Casamance crisis, including officials in neighboring Guinea-Bissau and The Gambia, after taking office in April, saying he would take personal charge. The government and MFDC began preliminary peace talks in December 2000.

Since independence from France in 1960, Senegal has escaped military or harshly authoritarian rule. President Léopold Senghor exercised de facto one-party rule under the Socialist Party for more than a decade after independence. Most political restrictions were lifted after 1981. Diouf succeeded Senghor in 1981 and won large victories in unfair elections in 1988 and 1993. The presidential poll in 2000 was judged free and fair by international observers.

Senegal's population is mostly engaged in subsistence agriculture. There has been steady growth in the industrial sector, but lack of open competition obstructs independent business development. Senegal, however, became the first West African country to receive a credit rating from Standard & Poor's, which placed Senegal at an equal level with Brazil and other countries in terms of economic stability in 2000.

Political Rights and Civil Liberties

The Senegalese have the right to choose their leaders freely. Voting regulations blatantly favored the former ruling party for the first three decades after independence. The party used state patronage and state media to protect its position. Changes to the 1992 Electoral Code lowered the voting age to 18, introduced secret balloting, and created a nominally fairer electoral framework. The National Observatory of Elections, which was created in 1997, performed credibly in overseeing the May 1998 legislative polls and the presidential elections in February and March 2000.

The presidential polls overturned four decades of rule by the Socialist Party. Diouf failed to win more than 50 percent of the vote in February and lost the runoff to Wade, who secured 58.5 percent of the vote, against 41.5 percent for Diouf. Eight candidates originally vied for the presidency, and opposition candidates that failed to gain enough votes in the first round of voting rallied behind Diouf.

A constitutional referendum is to be held in January 2001. If approved, the new constitution would create a semipresidential administration with greater powers for the prime minister. Legislative elections are scheduled for March 2001. The May 1998 polls returned the Socialist Party to a comfortable majority of seats in the national assembly, but also reflected a continuing slide in the party's share of the popular vote. Socialist Party candidates won 93 of 140 seats, while the PDS won 23 and Union for Democratic Renewal won 11. The election was judged by most observers to be fair, but the opposition complained of fraud, which has historically helped to ensure successive, robust Socialist Party victories.

Poor pay and lack of tenure protections create conditions for external influence on a judiciary that is, by statute, independent. Uncharged detainees are incarcerated without legal counsel far beyond the lengthy periods already permitted by law. Muslims have the right to choose customary law or civil law for certain civil cases, such as those concerning inheritance and divorce.

In high-profile cases, there is often considerable interference from political and economic elites. International and local human rights groups criticized the Wade government in September 2000 after what appeared to be executive interference in efforts to prosecute exiled Chadian ruler Hissene Habre. A Senegalese court had indicted Habre in February on torture charges against Chadians during his eight-year rule, but the charges were later dismissed. Habre's attorney had been named as a special adviser to Wade.

Freedom of association and assembly is guaranteed, but authorities have sometimes limited this right in practice. There are credible reports that authorities often beat suspects during questioning and pretrial detention, despite constitutional protection against such treatment. Reports of disappearances in connection with the conflict in Casamance occur regularly. There are reports of extrajudicial killings by both government forces and MFDC rebels. The government rarely tries or punishes members of the armed forces for human rights abuses. Prison conditions are poor. Human rights groups, including the African Assembly for the Defense of Human Rights, working on local and regional issues are among many nongovernmental organizations that operate freely.

Freedom of expression is generally respected, and members of the independent media are often highly critical of the government and political parties. There are at least five independent radio stations, some of which broadcast in rural areas. The government does not carry out formal censorship, but some self-censorship is practiced because of laws against "discrediting the state" and disseminating "false news."

Religious freedom in Senegal, which is 90 percent Muslim, is respected. Rivalries between Islamic groups have sometimes erupted in violence. One association, the Mourid, has often used its strong financial and political influence to back the former ruling party.

Constitutional rights afforded women are often not honored, especially in the countryside, and women have fewer chances than men for education and formal sector employment. Despite government campaigns, spousal abuse and other domestic violence against women are reportedly common. Many elements of Islamic and local customary law, particularly those regarding inheritance and marital relations, are discriminatory toward women. Although Senegal banned female genital mutilation in December 1999, it is still practiced among some ethnic groups.

Union rights to organize and strike are legally protected, but include notification requirements and can carry penalties. Nearly all of the country's small industrialized workforce is unionized, and workers are a potent political force. The National Confederation of Senegalese Workers is linked to, and provides an important political base for, the former ruling party. The National Union of Autonomous Labor Unions of Senegal, a smaller, rival confederation, is more independent.