Senegal Languages

The political system of Senegal takes place in a semi-presidential democratic republic with the President holding the head of state position and the Prime Minister holding the position of the head of government. Executive power is held by the President and legislative power is held by the government and parliament. Senegal is one of the most politically stable African nations in modern history having never experienced a harsh dictatorship or coop d'etat since 1960.

Presidential elections take place every seven years, although, as mentioned earlier, the current president is campaigning for five-year terms. The next presidential election is scheduled to take place in 2019. Parliamentary elections for the seats in the National Assembly take place every five years and the last took place on 30 July 2017. The Prime Minister of Senegal is directly appointed by the president and is not elected by the people.

The parliament of Senegal is located in the capital city of Dakar on the western coast. The National Assembly as it is known consists of 150 seats with an additional 15 member seats for overseas voters. Senegal has a reputation for transparency and fairness in government operations with low levels of the economic corruption that has plagued the development of neighbouring countries. Observers claim the parliament of Senegal is widely ceremonial as they will rarely introduce legislation or vote down any legislation proposed by the ruling government.

Senegal operates with a multi-party political system. Some of these parties include the African Independence Party, the Alliance for the Republic, and the National Democratic Rally.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

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Published on 2019-11-06


Capital	Dakar
Languages	French (official), Wolof, Pular, Jola, Mandinka, Serer, Soninke
Ethnic Groups	Wolof 38.7%, Pular 26.5%, Serer 15%, Mandinka 4.2%, Jola 4%, Soninke 2.3%, other 9.3% (includes Europeans and persons of Lebanese descent) (2010-11 est.)
Religion	Muslim 95.4% (most adhere to one of the four main Sufi brotherhoods), Christian 4.2% (mostly Roman Catholic), animist 0.4% (2010-11 est.)
Government	Presidential republic
Independance	4 April 1960 (from France); note - complete independence achieved upon dissolution of federation with Mali on 20 August 1960
Area	196,722.00 km²
Water Area	4,192.00 km²
Land Area	192,530.00 km²
Population	14,320,055.00
Location	Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Mauritania
No. Bordering Countries	5
Bordering Countries	The Gambia 749 km, Guinea 363 km, Guinea-Bissau 341 km, Mali 489 km, Mauritania 742 km
GDP(PPP)	$39,720,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$2,600.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are Mali, Switzerland, and India.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are fish, groundnuts, petroleum products, phosphates, and cotton.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are France, China, and Nigeria.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include food and beverages, capital goods, and fuels.
Climate	In the north, continental climate (cold winters and hot, humid summers with well-distributed rainfall); in other parts, continental and Mediterranean climate (relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall and hot, dry summers and autumns)
Terrain	Generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast
Learn More	Senegal

Senegal Languages

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