VZCZCXRO8844
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHDK #1816/01 2481641
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 051641Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY DAKAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9136
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DAKAR 001816 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR AF/W, AF/RSA, DRL AND INR/AA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KISL SG
SUBJECT: SENATE ELECTIONS: DEMOCRATIC MISSTEP? 
 
REF: A) Dakar 1283, B) Dakar 1522, C) Dakar 1541 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
¶1.  (SBU) On August 19, local officials and Members of Parliament 
elected 35 senators via indirect suffrage.  The ruling PDS 
(Democratic Party of Senegal) won 34 out of the 35 "contested" 
seats.  The only opposition member in the Senate will be a member of 
AJ/PADS, the African Party for Democracy and Socialism.  The 
election was a non-event.  The average Senegalese views the new 
Senate as a vehicle to provide jobs and perks to the ruling 
political class.  The main opposition parties boycotted the 
elections condemning the fact that out of the 100 members of the 
future Senate, President Wade will appoint 65.  They are also 
demanding a national political dialogue to build a new consensus 
around electoral issues, the reform of institutions and the 
promotion of good governance.  Wade has so far refused such a 
dialogue and continues his unilateral reform of institutions.  This 
dialogue deficit with the opposition, the increase in the cost of 
living, and the uncertainties around Wade's succession has the 
potential to undermine Senegal's democracy and stability.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (U) On August 28, 2007, the Constitutional Court officially 
ratified the results of the August 19 election confirming that the 
PDS had indeed won 34 out of the 35 seats up for grabs.  Officially 
9,624 valid votes were cast out of a possible pool of 13,384 
eligible voters.  Of that number the PDS received 8,177 votes. 
 
A "SHAMEFUL" VICTORY 
------------------ 
¶3.  (SBU) Speaking on behalf of the opposition, who once again 
decided to boycott the elections, Ousmane Tanor Dieng, leader of the 
Socialist party noted: "this Senate is sad for our democracy; it is 
a shameful and empty institution."  Dieng and his colleague are 
currently meeting Embassies and Senegalese civil society groups to 
denounce Wade's non-democratic reforms and his refusal to meet with 
his opposition.  A former adviser of President Wade told Pol staff 
that the conditions under which Wade is creating the Senate is 
reminiscent of the African one-party state of the sixties where the 
Head of State distributed positions in Parliament to party members. 
He averred that this is a step backward and an implementation of an 
old idea of Wade's - to have a Senate that would be an assembly of 
"wise men" in the old African traditions of assemblies of the 
elderly. 
 
So Many Questions, So Few Answers 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Many questions remain about a realistic role for the 
Senate, its structure and logistics.  These include but are not 
limited to: what will the Senate do in terms of lawmaking, when will 
Wade appoint the remaining 65 Senators, where will they convene, 
where will their offices be located, what will be the internal rules 
of the Senate, what commissions will be set up, what will its 
relationship be with the National Assembly, how much will the 
Senators be paid, what perks - such as cars and a petrol allowance - 
will be distributed, and which body will represent Senegal in 
international organizations such as the African Union? 
 
PDS IS ITS OWN OPPOSTION 
------------------------ 
¶5.  (SBU) These elections underline that the PDS is its own 
opposition in the current democratic process.  The party consists of 
local barons who fight for control of political territories.  The 
yardstick for measuring success is the capacity to mobilize people 
and to show that they provide unconditional support to Wade.  These 
barons in return are rewarded with cabinet positions or by 
endorsement of their candidacies so that they can run in legislative 
or local elections.  It is such fights at the local level that led 
the PDS to lose the Senate seat of Velingara, in Casamance, where 
local officials rebelled against Wade and refused to vote for his 
nominee.  The PDS has threatened to punish those who orchestrated 
the rebellion.  Though they did not lose other seats, it is clear 
that similar mini-uprisings occurred in other areas.  AJ/PADS, the 
only significant opposition in these elections competed in 18 
districts out of the 35 and in many places scored much higher than 
expected.  For example in Kaolack, where they only have 24 municipal 
counselors they won 56 votes.  One of the leaders of AJ told Pol 
staff that they had benefited from the dissident vote within the 
PDS. 
 
A SUCCESSION VEHICLE 
-------------------- 
¶6.  (SBU) In reality, the sole importance of the Senate lies in the 
fact that, in case of a Presidential vacancy, the President of the 
Senate would assume the duties of Head of State and have up to 90 
days to organize elections.  In effect, the Senate is a Chamber 
dominated by faithful PDS militants who are likely to rubber-stamp 
whichever succession scheme Wade will chose. 
 
DAKAR 00001816  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
A NATIONAL CONSENSUS IS IMPERATIVE 
---------------------------------- 
¶7.  (SBU) Meanwhile, opposition leaders have met with civil society 
organizations to enlist their support for a national dialogue. 
Forum Civil, which is Senegal's leading organization in good 
governance, has suggested that grassroots groups be involved in the 
process so that the political elite does not remain aloof.  Civil 
society groups are insisting on the need to open up public media to 
dissenting opinions, that constitutional rights to demonstrate be 
respected by administrative authorities, and that in the Senate a 
quota system be used to allow opposition parties to be meaningfully 
included in the mechanism of democratic institutions so that the 
opposition would have available options other than street 
demonstrations. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
¶8.  (SBU) Wade re-established the Senate not to provide checks and 
balances that is so lacking in Senegalese democracy, but to further 
divide forces within his party to concentrate more power in his 
hands.  After his election in 2000, he declared that his ambition 
was to have his party rule the country for fifty years. 
Constitutional amendments and Institutional reforms undertaken by 
his administration have clearly weakened Senegal's democracy while 
seeking to give the PDS the means to retain power by enlarging its 
sociological base through a process known as "refoundation of the 
party" (Ref C).  Many segments of society are today demanding that 
PDS return to a more open and consensus-based approach to 
government.  Political organizations as well as labor unions and 
rural organizations have called for "Assises nationales" (national 
dialogue).  The PDS has managed to "purchase" a majority of all 
elections by mobilizing significant financial resources to fund its 
campaigns and influence opponents and religious leaders.  However, 
this artificially built majority is becoming fragile in the face of 
the deterioration of the purchasing power of the average Senegalese. 
 A dialogue to build a new consensus on political and economic 
issues may soon be necessary if Wade is to avoid growing tension and 
conflict with vocal opposition parties and powerful union who are 
garnering support from citizens who can no longer cope with 
inflationary pressures and believe that his Alternance has forgotten 
the poor. 
 
SMITH