Abdou Diouf facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Abdou Diouf
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![]() Diouf in 2008
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2nd Secretary General of La Francophonie | |
In office 1 January 2003 – 31 December 2014 |
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Preceded by | Boutros Boutros-Ghali |
Succeeded by | Michaëlle Jean |
2nd President of Senegal | |
In office 1 January 1981 – 1 April 2000 |
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Prime Minister | Habib Thiam Moustapha Niasse Habib Thiam Mamadou Lamine Loum |
Preceded by | Léopold Sédar Senghor |
Succeeded by | Abdoulaye Wade |
1st President of Senegambia | |
In office 12 December 1981 – 30 September 1989 |
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Vice President | Dawda Jawara |
2nd Prime Minister of Senegal | |
In office 26 February 1970 – 31 December 1980 |
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President | Léopold Sédar Senghor |
Preceded by | Mamadou Dia (1962) |
Succeeded by | Habib Thiam |
Personal details | |
Born | Louga, French West Africa (now Senegal) |
7 September 1935
Political party | Socialist Party |
Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Diouf |
Alma mater | University of Dakar Pantheon-Sorbonne University |
Abdou Diouf (US i/ˈɑːbduː diˈuːf/ ahb-DOO-_-DEE-oof; Serer: Abdu Juuf; born 7 September 1935) is a Senegalese politician who was the second President of Senegal, in office 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 was also the second Secretary-General of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie from January 2003 to December 2014.
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Early life
Diouf was born into the Joof family in Louga, Senegal, the child of an Halpulaar 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 in 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. 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.
In 1985, opposing parties tried to form a coalition. It was broken up on the grounds that coalitions were forbidden by the constitution. Also in 1985, Abdoulaye Wade, Diouf's main political opponent, was temporarily arrested for unlawful demonstration.
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.
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.
1993 and 2000 elections
Diouf was reelected in February 1993 with 58% of the vote to a 7-year term; presidential term lengths had been extended by two years in 1991. In the first round of the 2000 elections, on February 27, he took 41.3% of the vote against 30.1% for the long-time opposition leader Abdoulaye Wade, but in the second round on March 19 he received only 41.5% against 58.5% for Wade. Diouf conceded defeat and left office on April 1.
From this electoral defeat came one of Diouf's greatest contributions to African peace, for he gracefully surrendered power to Abdoulaye Wade, his long-time rival. When Diouf left office, Wade even said he should receive a Nobel Peace Prize for leaving without violence.
Socialist Party leadership
Diouf was Deputy Secretary-General of the Socialist Party under Senghor. He became Secretary-General in 1981, and when the party was restructured at its Thirteenth Congress in 1996, he was moved to the position of President of the PS, while Ousmane Tanor Dieng became First Secretary, having been proposed by Diouf.
International organizations
Both during and after his presidency, Diouf has been active in international organizations. He was President of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) from 1985 to 1986. Soon after his election, he made a personal plea to François Mitterrand, the President of France, resulting in France speaking strongly for sanctions against South Africa. In 1992, he was re-elected President of the OAU again for another year-long term. He was also instrumental in the establishment of the Goree Institute.
After leaving office as President of Senegal, he was unanimously elected as Secretary-General of La Francophonie at that organization's Ninth Summit on October 20, 2002 in Beirut, following the withdrawal of the only other candidate, Henri Lopes of the Republic of the Congo. Diouf took office as Secretary-General on January 1, 2003. He was re-elected as Secretary-General for another four years at the organization's summit in Bucharest in September 2006.
Diouf is an Eminent Member of the Sergio Vieira de Mello Foundation.
He is also a member of the Fondation Chirac's honour committee, ever since the foundation was launched in 2008 by former French president Jacques Chirac in order to promote world peace and on the International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber Threats (IMPACT) International Advisory Board. Additionally, he is one of the 25 leading figures on the Information and Democracy Commission launched by Reporters Without Borders.
Honours and decorations
Ribbon bar | Country | Honour |
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Senegal | Grand Cross of the National Order of the Lion |
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Senegal | Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit |
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France | Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour |
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Canada | Grand officier of the National Order of Quebec |
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DR Congo | Grand Cordon of the National Order of the Leopard |
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Organisation internationale de la Francophonie | Grand Cross of the Order of La Pléiade |
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United Kingdom | Grand officier of the Order of the British Empire |
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South Africa | Grand Cross of the Order of Good Hope |
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Austria | Grand Star of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria |
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Portugal | Grand Cross of the Military Order of Saint James of the Sword |
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Libya | Grand Cordon of the Order of the Grand Conqueror |
See also
- In Spanish: Abdou Diouf