Abdou Diouf
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{{Infobox President
|image=Replace this image male.svg <!-- only free-content images are allowed for depicting living people - see [[WP:NONFREE]] -->
|| name=Abdou Diouf
|order=2nd [[List of Presidents of Senegal|President of Senegal]]
|term_start=[[January 1]], [[1981]]
|term_end=[[April 1]], [[2000]]
|prime_minister=[[Habib Thiam]]
|predecessor=[[Léopold Sédar Senghor]]
|successor=[[Abdoulaye Wade]]
|birth_date={{birth date and age|1935|9|7|mf=y}}
|birth_place=[[Louga]], [[Senegal]]
|party=[[Socialist Party of Senegal]]
|religion=[[Sunni Muslim]] ([[Maliki]]-[[Ash'ari]], [[Tijani]])
}}
'''Abdou Diouf''' ({{lang-wo|Abdu Juuf}}) (born [[September 7]], [[1935]]<ref name=PS>[http://www.partisocialiste.sn/ps_vie/bioabdou.htm Biography at Socialist Party website] {{fr icon}}.</ref>) was the second [[List of Presidents of Senegal|President]] of [[Senegal]], serving from 1981 to 2000. Diouf is notable both for coming to power by peaceful succession, and leaving willingly after losing the [[Senegalese presidential election, 2000|2000 presidential election]] to [[Abdoulaye Wade]]. He has been the Secretary-General of [[Francophonie|La Francophonie]] since 2003.
== Early life ==
Diouf was born in [[Louga]], Senegal, a child of an Hal Pulaar mother and a Serere father. He went to primary and secondary school at the Lycée Faidherbe in [[Saint-Louis, Senegal|Saint-Louis]], and studied law at [[Dakar]] University and then at the [[Sorbonne]], [[Paris]]. Diouf graduated in 1959.<ref>Rake, African Leaders: Guiding the New Millinium, p. 193. Scarecrow Press, Inc, 2001.</ref>
== 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.<ref name=PS/><ref name=Rake>Rake, African Leaders: Guiding the New Millinium, p. 193. Scarecrow Press, Inc, 2001.</ref> In 1961 he joined the [[Senegalese Progressive Union]] (''Union Progressiste Sénégalaise'', UPS), which later became the [[Socialist Party of Senegal]].<ref name=Rake/> 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 the Plan and Industry. He remained in the latter position until February 1970, when he was named Prime Minister.<ref name=PS/>
== Presidency ==
In 1970 Senghor reinstated the post of prime minister, giving it to Diouf, his protégé. Senghor trusted Diouf, Diouf had administrative experience, and also no independent power base of his own.<ref>Rake, African Leaders: Guiding the New Millinium, p. 193. Scarecrow Press, Inc, 2001.</ref> This was important, for Senghor's last prime minister had used 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.<ref>Ungar, Africa: The People and Politics of an Emerging Continent, p. 346. Simon and Schusyer, Inc, 1978.</ref>
In 1985, opposing parties tried to form a coalition. It was broken up on the grounds that coalitions were forbidden by the constitution.<ref>Rake, African Leaders: Guiding the New Millinium, p. 194. Scarecrow Press, Inc, 2001.</ref> Also in 1985, [[Abdoulaye Wade]], Diouf's main political opponent, was temporarily arrested for unlawful demonstration.<ref>Arnold, Africa: A Modern History, p. 688. Atlantic Books, 2005.</ref>
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.<ref>Rake, African Leaders: Guiding the New Millinium, p. 195. Scarecrow Press, Inc, 2001.</ref>
===Senegambia===
Under Diouf, Senegal agreed to form a confederation called [[Sénégambia Confederation|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.<ref>Meredith, The Fate of Africa, p.367. Published by PublicAffaires, 2005.</ref>
===1993 and 2000 elections===
Diouf was reelected in February 1993 with 58% of the vote<ref name=Elections>[http://africanelections.tripod.com/sn.html Elections in Senegal], African Elections Database.</ref> to a 7-year term; presidential term lengths had been extended by two years in 1991.<ref>''Human Rights in Developing Countries Yearbook 1997'', page 276.</ref> 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.<ref name=Elections/> 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 said he should receive a [[Nobel Peace Prize]] for leaving without violence.<ref>Rake, African Leaders: Guiding the New Millinium, p. 196. Scarecrow Press, Inc, 2001.</ref>
==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<ref name=PS/> at its Thirteenth Congress in 1996,<ref name=Bref>[http://www.partisocialiste.sn/ps_vie/enbref.htm Page on the PS at party website] {{fr icon}}.</ref> he was moved to the position of President of the PS,<ref name=PS/> while [[Ousmane Tanor Dieng]] became First Secretary, having been proposed by Diouf.<ref name=Bref/>
== International organizations ==
Both during and after his presidency, Diouf has been active in international organizations. He was elected President of the [[Organization of African Unity]] (OAU) for 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.
After leaving office as President of Senegal, he was elected as Secretary-General of [[La Francophonie]] at that organization's Ninth Summit on [[October 20]] [[2002]] in [[Beirut]],<ref>[http://www.francophonie.org/doc/doc-sg/biographie-sg.pdf "Biographie de Monsieur Abdou DIOUF"], francophonie.org {{fr icon}}.</ref> following the withdrawal of the candidate [[Henri Lopes]] of the Republic of the Congo;<ref>"Francophone summit adopts declaration, elects new OIF head", Radio France Internationale (nl.newsbank.com), October 20, 2002.</ref> Diouf took office on [[January 1]] [[2003]].<ref>[http://www.francophonie.org/doc/rapport-sg/2004/002_Organisation/txt-Org.html "RAPPORT DU SECRETAIRE GENERAL DE LA FRANCOPHONIE 2002-2004"], francophonie.org {{fr icon}}.</ref> He was re-elected as Secretary-General for another four years at the organization's summit in [[Bucharest]] in September 2006.<ref>[http://www.angolapress-angop.ao/noticia-e.asp?ID=476527 "Diouf re-elected OIF Secretary General for four years"], Angola Press, September 30, 2006.</ref>
==Trivia==
Diouf is a very tall man, at 6 ft 6 inches (198cm) in height.
{{Commons|Abdou Diouf|Abdou Diouf}}
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=Post Abolished}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Prime Minister of Senegal]]|years=[[26 February]] [[1970]]{{ndash}} [[31 December]] [[1980]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Habib Thiam]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Léopold Sédar Senghor]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[President of Senegal]] |years=1981{{ndash}} 2000}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Abdoulaye Wade]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Julius Nyerere]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Chairperson of the African Union]] |years=1985{{ndash}} 1986}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Denis Sassou-Nguesso]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Ibrahim Babangida]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Chairperson of the African Union]] |years=1992{{ndash}} 1993}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Hosni Mubarak]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Dawda Jawara]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Economic Community of West African States|Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States]] |years=1992{{ndash}} 1993}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Nicéphore Soglo]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{SenegalPresidents}}
{{SenegalPMs}}
{{African Union chairpersons}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diouf, Abdou}}
[[Category:1935 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Presidents of Senegal]]
[[Category:Senegalese Sunni Muslims]]
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