H. Res. 449
In the House of Representatives, U.S.,
May 3, 2000.
Whereas the Republic of Senegal held free, fair, and trans-
parent multi-party elections on March 19, 2000;
Whereas Senegalese President Abdou Diouf conceded defeat
to longtime rival Abdoulaye Wade on Monday, March 20,
2000, after a hotly contested run-off election;
Whereas President Diouf’s party, Parti Socialist, has ruled in
the West African country of Senegal since independence
from France in 1960;
Whereas President-elect Abdoulaye Wade of the Parti
Democratique Senegal (PDS) was voted into office by a
majority of the electorate and is Senegal’s third Presi-
dent;
Whereas the citizens of Dakar, Senegal, joyously welcomed
the results of Senegal’s free and fair elections;
Whereas on February 27, 2000, during the first round of vot-
ing, President Diouf amassed 41.3 percent of the vote to
Wade’s 31 percent;
Whereas President-elect Wade won 22 of the country’s 31
districts and received 60 percent of the total 1,616,307
votes cast;
•HRES 449 EH
Whereas President-elect Wade’s victory ends 40 years of un-
interrupted rule by Mr. Diouf’s Socialist Party;
Whereas President Diouf telephoned Mr. Wade to congratu-
late him on winning the elections;
Whereas President-elect Wade campaigned on the principles
of ‘‘probity, good work, and involvement of the youth’’ in
the construction of Senegal;
Whereas Mr. Wade received the endorsement of five leading
opposition candidates after the second round of voting,
including Mr. Moustapha Niasse, a former foreign min-
ister in President Diouf’s party;
Whereas Mr. Niasse said the new government’s first task
would be to re-establish the country’s equilibrium and
fight corruption;
Whereas the newly elected President Wade first ran for the
presidency in 1978 against ex-President Leopold Senghor
and ran in four subsequent polls;
Whereas this West African country of 10 million people has
remained relatively stable and prosperous;
Whereas Senegalese President Diouf took office 19 years ago
and served as prime minister for 10 years;
Whereas his predecessor and mentor, poet and politician
Leopold Sedar Senghor, surprised the country in 1980 by
voluntarily stepping down and turning over power to
President Diouf, as prescribed by Senegal’s constitution;
Whereas Senegal has a free press and judiciary;
Whereas Senegal is a recipient of the African Crisis Respon-
sive Initiative;
•HRES 449 EH
Whereas Mr. Wade’s history symbolizes a triumph for a
country which has long been considered a model of Afri-
can democracy although ruled by one party; and
Whereas this election marks a contribution to a paradigm
shift of a new political system on the West African coast:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
(1) commends the people of the Republic of Senegal
for voting in this historic Presidential election;
(2) congratulates President Diouf for stepping down
before the results were officially announced and uphold-
ing democracy and good governance;
(3) encourages the Administration to send a Presi-
dential delegation to the West African Country of Sen-
egal to welcome President Wade into office;
(4) strongly urges the Economic Community Of
West African States (ECOWAS) to follow Senegal’s lead
and make efforts to promote democratic reforms and
prevent future conflicts;
(5) calls upon the newly elected President to involve
all Senegalese to accept the election results and move the
country forward;
(6) calls on all factions within the Secessionist
Movement of Democratic Forces in the Casamance
(MFDC) rebel group in Casamance to commit to a ces-
sation of hostilities and create stability for its people;
•HRES 449 EH
(7) strongly urges newly elected President Wade to
continue the peace initiative started by former President
Diouf with the Secessionist Movement of Democratic
Forces in the Casamance (MFDC);
(8) urges President-elect Wade to dialogue with the
MFDC to settle the Casamance conflict through political
negotiations and urges prompt initiation of peace talks;
and
(9) recognizes Senegal as one of the first African
states to adopt a multi-party system in the early 1980’s
and a nation that has been a longtime beacon of democ-
racy on a continent of one-party states and military dic-
tatorships.
Attest:
Clerk.