Senegal's Presidential Election

Wade camp predicts victory as Senegal counts votes

Five million flocked to the polls

February 27, 2007, 14:45

Abdoulaye Wade, the Senegal leader’s camp said he was headed for a first-round win yesterday in Senegal's high-turnout election, but poll authorities warned against calling the result too soon. Wade's prediction that he will win with more than half the vote, which his 14 challengers said will be impossible to achieve without fraud, has raised fears of unrest in one of the few African states not to have had a coup since independence.

Macky Sall, the prime minister and manager of the Wade campaign, said partial figures compiled from its representatives at polling stations showed record turnout of 70% with a lead of around 57% for the octogenarian Wade. "These results (show) irrefutably that Wade is well clear of the 50% needed to be elected in the first round," Sall said early yesterday as supporters played music and danced outside Wade's Democratic Party's headquarters.

Official provisional results were not expected before today, a spokesperson for the Autonomous National Electoral Commission (CENA) told an international news agency. If no candidate wins a majority, a second-round run-off is scheduled for mid-March. "These are not official results and do not contribute to a climate of serenity," a CENA spokesperson said on Sunday after Wade's supporters said the president was headed for a first-round win.

Wade swept to power in 2000
Paris-based press freedom watchdog Reporters Sans Frontieres issued a damning summary of election coverage, saying Senegal's state broadcaster RTS, news agency APS and Le Soleil , a daily newspaper had all disregarded the requirement for balanced coverage, dedicating virtually all their coverage to Wade.

West African election observers noted delays, problems with delivering polling equipment and the illegal presence of campaign photos and T-shirts around voting stations. "Nevertheless, the day of the poll, the opportunity was given to Senegalese voters to express their choice. The presidential election of February 25, 2007 was sufficiently free and fair," observers from regional bloc ECOWAS said in a statement. Wade swept to power in 2000, ending four decades of Socialist Party rule in what was at the time one of Africa's first transfers from one elected government to another.

Backers of Ousmane Tanor Dieng, the Socialist candidate who had said they had "credible information ... of a planned strategy of fraud", dismissed Wade's early claims of victory as "fantasy". Wade has campaigned on ambitious job-creation projects to build highways, five-star hotels, railways and airports to stem an exodus of desperate young migrants leaving for Europe.

Political violence rare in Senegal
Opponents criticise him for failing to tackle rural poverty, weak infrastructure, rising prices and a lack of jobs in a country where more than half the 12 million population is under 18 and most people live by farming and fishing.

Apart from a long-running low-level insurgency by separatists in the southern province of Casamance, political violence is rare in Senegal. But tensions have spilled over into isolated clashes during the campaign; stoking fears of further trouble should the opposition reject the results. - Reuters

SABC News: http://www.sabcnews.com/africa/west_africa/0,2172,144480,00.html

Write me!

If you want to write me or send a care package while I'm at training (from March - May), my address will be:

PCT Jamie Anderson
Corps de la Paix
B.P. 299
Thies, Senegal
West Africa

It will take a minimum of two weeks and be sure to write "Air Mail" and "Par Avion" on the envelope. I'd love to hear from you!

About Senegal

Country profile: Senegal (from the BBC)

Senegal has been held up as one of Africa's model democracies. It has an established multi-party system and a tradition of civilian rule.

Although poverty is widespread and unemployment is high, the country has one of the region's more stable economies.

• Full name: Republic of Senegal
• Population: 10.6 million (UN, 2005)
• Capital: Dakar
• Area: 196,722 sq km (75,955 sq miles)
• Major language: French (official), Wolof
• Major religion: Islam
• Life expectancy: 54 years (men), 57 years (women) (UN)
• Monetary unit: 1 CFA (Communaute Financiere Africaine) franc = 100 centimes
• Main exports: Fish, peanuts, petroleum products, phosphates, cotton
• GNI per capita: US $710 (World Bank, 2006)
• Internet domain: .sn
• International dialling code: +221

For the Senegalese, political participation and peaceful leadership changes are not new. Even as a colony Senegal had representatives in the French parliament. And the promoter of African culture, Leopold Senghor, who became president at independence in 1960, voluntarily handed over power to Abdou Diouf in 1980.

The 40-year rule of Senegal's Socialist Party came to a peaceful end in elections in 2000, which were hailed as a rare democratic power transfer on a continent plagued by coups, conflict and election fraud.

Senegal is on the western-most part of the bulge of Africa and includes desert in the north and a moist, tropical south. Slaves, ivory and gold were exported from the coast during the 17th and 18th centuries and now the economy is based mainly on agriculture. The money sent home by Senegalese living abroad is a key source of revenue.

A long-running, low-level separatist war in the southern Casamance region has claimed hundreds of lives. The conflict broke out over claims by the region's people that they were being marginalised by the Wolof, Senegal's main ethnic group.

The government and rebels signed a peace pact at the end of 2004, raising hopes for reconciliation.

On the world stage, Senegal has sent peacekeeping troops to DR Congo, Liberia and Kosovo.

CIA World Factbook - Senegal:
https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sg.html

Lonely Planet - Travel Information for Senegal (come visit!):
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/africa/senegal/

USAID in Senegal:
http://www.usaid.gov/locations/sub-saharan_africa/countries/senegal/

Senegal Post:
http://www.senegalpost.com/

News (in English) from Senegal:
http://allafrica.com/senegal/

My Peace Corps Application

I first applied in August 2005 and had my interview at Boston College in September. For anyone thinking about applying, the application process itself and the interview were great exercises to gauge my personal interest in joining the Peace Corps.

After the nomination, it was waiting time. Getting together my medical information proved the biggest challenge, mainly because I had medical information in both California and Boston. When I finally got my invitation to go to Senegal, the year deadline for most of my medical information had passed, meaning I have had to re-do some of my health checks.

Personally, reading back over my short motivation and cultural experiences essays has been therapeutic as I prepare to depart. It's a good reminder that I didn't just apply on a whim, but rather, it is something I have looked forward to for awhile, and something that I have thought about for some time.

My application essays....
MOTIVATION:
Service has always been a part of my life. I raised Guide Dogs for the Blind for ten years growing up and volunteered at many community events. In college, I volunteered at the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless for a year, working on homeless advocacy. I am returning this year to run Boston College’s volunteer program of approximately 300 students. Since I first learned about it in grade school, Peace Corps has been in the back of my mind as an option after graduation.

My commitment to public service and interest in the world at-large led me to major in International Studies, with a focus in Political Science. I am also minoring in Faith, Peace, and Justice, an inter-disciplinary program with an emphasis on development studies. Last year, I studied abroad in South Africa, which was an incredible experience. I decided before going that my experience would help me to decide whether or not to apply for the Peace Corps when I returned home. Could I make it in another country for so long? I was hoping that my six months would be a good indicator. Would I fare well being so far away, in such a different culture?

My initial results were mixed. I missed the comforts of home, the accessibility to my family and friends, and my general lifestyle. However, after visiting Mozambique, an even more different experience, and then returning home, I have not gone a day without thinking of how I can make a difference, and perhaps even more importantly, how I can learn more and become more engaged in “worlds” outside my own. The Peace Corps seems to be the perfect opportunity. I have considered applying for a Fulbright, but have decided that I want to work hands-on, seeking to make a difference and really getting involved as a part of a community. I don't want to merely "study"—I want to partake and learn through action.

I have encountered many people who have volunteered with the Peace Corps during my summer internship at the State Department; their recommendations as the "best job experience" pushed me towards actually submitting my application. After the Peace Corps, I plan on continuing my education in a Master's program, most likely studying international development or broader international studies. My ultimate career goal is to work on development issues with the U.S. government, international institutions, or non-profits. The Peace Corps seems like the perfect opportunity for me to have actual, productive job experience, before heading back into the theoretical world of academia, and finally into the “field”. I am very excited about the opportunity to go abroad again, to really challenge myself and create a solid foundation for my career and life.

CULTURAL EXPERIENCE:
From February to June 2005, I had the opportunity to study at the University of Cape Town. During that time, I was able to take a trip to Mozambique, driving from Johannesburg to Maputo, then up the coast to Inhambane. Although South Africa was different from "home," there were definite similarities in the lifestyles of my South African friends and their thoughts on the world, etc. However, Mozambique was an experience unlike no other, for me. Besides the language barrier, I felt transported to a different "world," one in which I had only heard about, sometimes, but rarely seen on the news. Arriving at the hostel at Tofo beach, it was obvious we were outsiders, no doubt tourists. At first, this made me pretty uncomfortable. I did not want to be looked at differently, to be treated differently because of the color of my skin, what I was wearing, or how much money I had. However, I soon realized that that is the way the community works. In South Africa, I could hide my differences, try to speak in a South African accent, and "fit in." Here, I realized that "fitting in" was both impossible, and not actually helpful. By capitalizing on my "differences," I engaged in very interesting conversations with a group of young people hanging out on the beach. They told me about what they do, where they live, their families. I told them the same. We asked questions, talked about our differences, then put it all aside and played soccer before it got dark.

I drove into Mozambique feeling guilty for being 21 years old, with a backpack full of possessions in a new rented car, traveling for nothing more than my own amusement and curiosity. I left Mozambique appreciating what I have, but brainstorming ways that I could help provide others with the same opportunities. My short trip taught me about Mozambique, the impact of its previous political struggles on life today, and the lifestyles of its people, especially those living near the ocean. It also taught me a lot about myself, especially what I value most and how to communicate with others of not only a different language, but also a different frame of mind.