FEEDBACK PRINT THIS PAGE
|
|
|
Timeline
January 1997 – The 1996 decentralization law goes into effect, transferring more power to local and regional government bodies.
February 2000 – The long-running legal odyssey of Hissène Habré, former president of Chad who fled to Senegal after his overthrow in 1990, begins when a Senegalese judge charges Habré with committing crimes against humanity during his eight-year rule. Habré is placed under house arrest. The courts later rule that Senegal has no authority to try Habré, and over the next six years, the government keeps Habré under virtual house arrest, refusing to extradite him. Finally, in July 2006, at the African Union's urging, the government agrees to prosecute Habré.
March 2000 – Abdoulaye Wade, founder and leader of the Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS—Parti Démocratique Sénégalais) defeats four-term president Abdou Diouf in elections and ends 40 years of Socialist Party rule.
January 2001 – Voters approve constitutional amendments that limit presidents to just two five-year terms in office and give the president the authority to dissolve parliament.
April 2001 – The PDS wins a majority of seats in parliamentary elections.
July 2001 – President Wade and the leaders of Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa launch the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), an economic development program which emphasizes a commitment to democratic governance and human rights.
September 2002 – The Senegalese coastal ferry Le Joola capsizes 35 kilometers off the Gambian coast, drowning more than 1,800 passengers. Poor government handling of the disaster leads President Wade to dismiss Prime Minister Mame Madior Boye and the rest of his cabinet. Wade appoints Idrissa Seck, Wade's deputy at the PDS, as prime minister.
April 2004 – President Wade fires Prime Minister Seck after a months-long power struggle between the two men.
July 2004 – Madiambal Diagne, managing editor of the privately owned newspaper Le Quotidien, is arrested and jailed for publishing minutes of the High Judicial Council, in which some judges allege being victims of political score-settling by government officials. His incarceration sparks protests by journalism and political organizations throughout the country. The independent media declares a one-day press boycott, and several Dakar newspapers print a common editorial denouncing Diagne's arrest. Reporters Without Borders notes that press freedom in Senegal had taken a "disturbing turn" in the previous year.
January 2005 – Parliament passes a bill granting amnesty to those convicted of committing political crimes since 1983. The bill is criticized by opposition parties, since it will exonerate those involved in the killing of constitutional court judge Babacar Seye in 1993, which many blame on the PDS.
July 2005 – Former Prime Minister Idrissa Seck is charged with threatening state security and embezzling funds intended for public works projects. He is sent to jail.
December 2005 – Parliament passes a broadcasting law creating the National Council for the Regulation of Broadcasting (CNRA), a body charged with overseeing broadcast media content in the country. Critics fear the CNRA will have too much power over broadcast media outlets and will hinder free speech. They also question the legitimacy of the CNRA's nine-member board, whose members are selected by the president and are not required to have a background in journalism.
February 2006 – Idrissa Seck is released from jail after his charges are dismissed.
|
|
 |
|
|
|
