Ousmane Tanor Dieng facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ousmane Tanor Dieng
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| First Secretary of the Socialist Party of Senegal | |
| In office 1996 – 15 July 2019 |
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| Vice-president of the Socialist International | |
| In office 1996 – 15 July 2019 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 January 1947 Nguéniène |
| Died | 15 July 2019 (aged 72) Paris, France |
| Political party | Socialist Party of Senegal |
| Website | tanor-dieng.com |
Ousmane Tanor Dieng (born January 2, 1947 – died July 15, 2019) was an important political leader from Senegal. He was the main leader of the Socialist Party of Senegal. He also served as a vice-president for the Socialist International, a worldwide group of political parties, from 1996 until he passed away.
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Early Life and Education
Ousmane Tanor Dieng was born in 1947 in a place called Nguéniène, which is in Senegal. When he was very young, from age 3 to 7, he went to a Koranic school. He was part of the "Sérére" ethnic group, which makes up about 15% of the people in Senegal.
He started his regular school in 1955 in Nguéniène. Later, he went to secondary schools in St. Louis and Dakar, where he finished his high school studies. He then studied law at the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar. He focused on how countries work together, which is called international relations. He earned degrees in public law and political science. He also attended a special school for government officials called ENAM, where he trained to become a diplomat.
Working for the Government
Diplomatic Roles
After finishing his studies at ENAM in 1976, Ousmane Tanor Dieng started working for the government's foreign office. Here, he handled different tasks related to international affairs, especially dealing with African countries and the United Nations. He worked in this role until 1978.
Working with Presidents
In October 1978, he was chosen to be a special advisor to Léopold Sédar Senghor, who was the President of Senegal at that time. President Senghor was looking for someone with a strong international background who could write well. For Ousmane Tanor Dieng, it was a great honor to work with President Senghor, who he admired. He helped with scientific and literary topics.
When Abdou Diouf became the new president in January 1981, Ousmane Tanor Dieng continued to work as his diplomatic advisor. He stayed in this role until 1988. From 1988 to 1993, he became the director of staff within the presidency. In 1993, he was made a minister, in charge of presidential services and affairs, a position he held until 2000.
Political Journey
Leading the Party's Work
While working for the government, Ousmane Tanor Dieng also became very involved in politics. From 1988, he became more interested in political life, partly because he wrote speeches for the president. He started to focus a lot on his home village and eventually became a key leader in the Socialist Party.
Top Leader of the Socialist Party
Because of his hard work and dedication, President Abdou Diouf eventually chose him to be the First Secretary of the Socialist Party of Senegal. This meant he was in charge of the party's daily operations. He used his position to become a leading candidate for general elections and was elected as a representative. However, he later had to step down from being a representative because holding that job at the same time as being a minister was not allowed.
African Unity and the Socialist International
As a vice-president of the Socialist International, Dieng strongly believed that African countries needed to work together to have a good future. He felt that if African nations did not unite, they would struggle. Even though bringing countries together can be hard, Dieng was hopeful. He was inspired by an idea from Leopold Sedar Senghor about "concentrated circles," which suggested different levels of cooperation. He felt that African countries had no choice but to work towards unity. The Socialist International also supports solving conflicts in Africa and helps to make democracy stronger across the continent. It also encourages African countries to become more united.
Presidential Election in 2007
Ousmane Tanor Dieng ran for President of Senegal in the February 2007 election. His main goals for the country included:
- Making sure the government was run well.
- Fighting against bad practices like corruption and bribery.
- Making government organizations stronger.
- Changing the government system to give more power to the National Assembly.
- Ensuring that the justice system was fair and independent.
- Supporting and protecting agriculture, which is very important as it provides jobs for 65% of the people in Senegal.
He wanted to bring changes to Senegal's economy, politics, and social structure. His main aim was to reduce the number of people who did not have jobs.
In the election, Dieng came in third place, receiving 13.56% of the votes. The winner was President Abdoulaye Wade, and Idrissa Seck came in second. Dieng believed there were problems with the election and asked the Constitutional Council to look into it, but his request was turned down.
