IV
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. RES. 449
Congratulating the people of Senegal on the success of the multi-party
electoral process.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 23, 2000
Mr. PAYNE (for himself, Mr. ROYCE, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. MEEKS
of New York, and Ms. LEE) submitted the following resolution; which
was referred to the Committee on International Relations
RESOLUTION
Congratulating the people of Senegal on the success of the
multi-party electoral process.
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;
•HRES 449 IH
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;
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;
•HRES 449 IH
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;
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 elec-
tion;
(2) congratulates President Diouf for stepping
down before the results were officially announced
and upholding democracy and good governance;
(3) encourages the Administration to send a
Presidential delegation to the West African Country
of Senegal 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 re-
forms and prevent future conflicts;
•HRES 449 IH
(5) calls upon the newly elected President to in-
volve 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
cessation of hostilities and create stability for its
people;
(7) strongly urges newly elected President
Wade to continue the peace initiative started by
former President Diouf with the Secessionist Move-
ment 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 Afri-
can states to adopt a multi-party system in the early
1980’s and a nation that has been a longtime beacon
of democracy on a continent of one-party states and
military dictatorships.
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