VZCZCXRO4181
PP RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHDK #0117/01 0291642
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 291642Z JAN 08
FM AMEMBASSY DAKAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 9941
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DAKAR 000117 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR AF/W, AF/RSA, DRL AND INR/AA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINS KDEM ECON SG
SUBJECT: SENEGAL: A CONTROVERSIAL RETURN TO BICAMERALISM 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: Senegal's return to bicameralism, following a 
February 2007 amendment to the Constitution, was widely perceived as 
a huge waste of funds and driven by a desire to create privileges 
for a growing political class rather than strengthening the 
country's democratic architecture.  Three months after its inaugural 
session in October, the Senate is still striving to justify its 
existence to a citizenry that has lost faith in the legislature. End 
Summary. 
 
A Rejected Institution 
---------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Fulfilling an election promise to downsize political 
institutions, President Abdoulaye Wade disbanded Senegal's Senate in 
¶2001.  However, seven years later, Wade has not only re-established 
all the institutions he had eliminated but he has significantly 
increased the number of professional politicians.  Many Senegalese 
are bitter about this U-turn and have voiced sharp criticisms 
against Wade's consistent tendency to use scarce public resources to 
reward political allies. 
 
Would be House of Wisdom 
------------------------ 
 
¶3. (SBU) Senate 2.0, where the President appoints 65 out of its 100 
members, reflects Wade's view that it should be "a chamber of 
wisdom," which is why the Constitution stipulates that senators have 
to be at least 40 years old to be eligible.  An unusual factor is 
that about 30 percent of its members are an illiterate group of 
mainly Wolof speakers who are not part of the ruling elite and who 
have taken it upon themselves to focus on how the government can 
help the poor.  Senator Khardiata Mendy of Casamance is one of the 
charismatic figures in this group as highlighted by a December 2007 
budget debate when she upbraided the Minister of Agriculture about a 
lack of policies to motivate farmers, "During this rainy season, I 
personally cleared vast areas of land with just my machete, but I 
received neither fertilizers nor seeds from the government. It is 
this lack of support that discourages young people who say that 
farming is no longer worth the trouble." 
 
Deficit of Legitimacy 
--------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) While constitutionally a second law-making chamber the 
Senate actually functions as a consultative body.  Thus, while the 
Constitution allows 21 days for the Senate to do a "second reading" 
of bills examined by the Assembly, bills still become law even if 
the Senate does not approve them.  Furthermore, mechanisms to 
harmonize the relationship between the two chambers and regulations 
giving the Senate power to block the passing of legislation have yet 
to be enacted.  The current President of the Senate, Dakar Mayor 
Pape Diop, who was appointed by Wade and who will be interim 
President for 90 days if the incumbent cannot serve, suggested that 
an Ombudsman be appointed to create a bridge between the two 
legislative chambers. 
 
Spoiled politicians 
------------------- 
¶5. (SBU) A senior staff member of the Senate told Embassy that "most 
senators are very happy with their remuneration package.  They each 
get a free SUV, a monthly salary of USD 3,000 (Senegal's minimum 
wage is 80 dollars per month), and diplomatic passports for each 
senator and one spouse."  He further commented that "many of the 
senators had retired [from politics] and so the benefits they 
receive were totally unexpected." 
 
In search of credibility 
------------------------ 
 
¶6. (SBU) The Senate's budget rapporteur told the Embassy that the 
Senate's main priority is to increase its credibility as a 
legislative body and to that end a number of new rules have been 
implemented to "encourage" participation.  The regulations of the 
Senate state that a Senator who misses committee work without proper 
justification will not be allowed to take the floor in plenary 
sessions.  Furthermore, sanctions in the form of salary deductions 
will be levied to all senators guilty of absenteeism.  To make its 
work more efficient during budget review, technical committees have 
been eliminated and the financial committee that questions ministers 
is open to all senators though only committee members can vote.  The 
first decision of the President of the Senate was to organize a 
training session to familiarize the majority of the members with the 
functions of a Senate and the rudiments of budget law.  He also sent 
them across the country to identify key economic problems and to 
relay their findings to the various ministers during the examination 
of the ministries' budgets. 
 
¶7. (SBU) During a discussion of the budget of the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs, senators used foreign policy issues to underline 
their credentials as defenders of Senegal's interests and of the 
 
DAKAR 00000117  002 OF 002 
 
 
Islamic Umah.  They regretted that Senegal's support of the PLO had 
weakened since the election of Hamas and the advent of Mahmud Abbas. 
 They wondered if that was due to the strengthening of economic 
exchanges with Israel.  They also vigorously condemned the Economic 
Partnership Agreements (EPAs) that the European Union is asking to 
sign with African countries to comply with the WTO's 
non-discrimination regulations.  One senator called the agreements 
"a declaration of war." 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) The creation of the Senate is mostly an effort by President 
Wade to provide patronage to political allies but is also attempt to 
divide and control the legislative branch and the country's other 
leading politicians.  Many senior politicians with the clout to 
resist the president are likely to be tempted by the trappings of 
prestige and power in the Senate only to find themselves without the 
ability to impact legislation or policy.  More importantly, repeated 
constitutional amendments are undermining the stability of Senegal's 
institutions and perhaps its democracy. 
 
 
SMITH