Template:Short description Template:Infobox political party The Senegalese Democratic Party (Template:Langx) is a political party in Senegal. The party considers itself a liberal party and is a member of the Liberal International. Abdoulaye Wade, who was President of Senegal from 2000 to 2012, is the party's leader. The PDS ruled together with smaller parties as part of the Sopi Coalition. Since Wade's defeat in the 2012 presidential election, the PDS has been the main opposition party.

HistoryEdit

At a summit of the Organization of African Unity in Mogadishu in 1974, Wade told President Léopold Sédar Senghor that he wanted to start a new party, and Senghor agreed to this. The PDS was founded on 31 July 1974 and recognized on 8 August.<ref name=Dioh>Tidiane Dioh, "Sous l'étiquette libérale", Jeune Afrique, 21 October 2002 Template:In lang.</ref> In its first constitutive congress, held on 31 January – 1 February 1976, the PDS described itself as a party of labor, but soon afterwards a law was introduced according to which three parties were allowed in Senegal: a socialist party, a Marxist–Leninist party, and a liberal party. The first two categories were already taken, and the PDS assumed the role of a liberal party rather than be dissolved.<ref name=Dioh/>

Abdoulaye Wade is the Secretary General of the PDS and has led the party since its foundation in 1974.<ref name=Profile>Profiles of People in Power: The World's Government Leaders (2003), page 457.</ref><ref>Profile of Wade at PDS web site Template:In lang.</ref> The PDS joined the Liberal International at the latter's Berlin Congress in 1980.<ref>PDS page Template:Webarchive at Liberal International.</ref>

The PDS participated, along with the ruling Socialist Party, in a national unity government that was formed in 1991, but withdrew from it on October 20, 1992, saying that the Socialist Party had monopolized control of the government and marginalized the PDS. Wade ran against the Socialist incumbent, Abdou Diouf, in the February 1993 presidential election, but lost to Diouf, receiving 32% of the vote against Diouf's 58%. In the subsequent May 1993 parliamentary election, the PDS won 27 out of 120 seats in the National Assembly. The PDS and the Socialist Party began discussing the formation of another government together, but this was aborted by the assassination of Constitutional Council vice-president Babacar Sèye on May 15; because the PDS had been critical of Sèye, they were suspected of responsibility for the killing. The PDS then joined the Bokk Sopi Senegaal opposition coalition, in which it remained until rejoining the government in March 1995.<ref>Richard Vengroff and Lucy Creevey, "Senegal: The Evolution of a Quasi Democracy", in Political Reform in Francophone Africa (1997), ed. Clark and Gardinier, pages 207–209.</ref>

Between 2005 and 2012 the PDS was associated with the international party network Alliance of Democrats. Within Senegal, the party has been part of the Patriotic Front for the Defence of the Republic since 2014 with And-Jëf/African Party for Democracy and Socialism.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

After running alone in the 2012 election, the PDS contested the following elections as part of opposition alliances, Manko Wattu Sénégal in 2017 and Wallu Sénégal in 2022. The party succeeded in gradually increasing its parliamentary representation, up to 24 MPs in 2022, but didn't prevent Macky Sall from forming a government after both elections.

Election resultsEdit

Presidential electionsEdit

Election Party candidate Votes % Votes % Result
First Round Second Round
1978 Abdoulaye Wade 174,817 17.8% colspan=2 Template:N/A Lost Template:N
1983 161,067 14.79% colspan=2 Template:N/A Lost Template:N
1988 291,869 25.80% colspan=2 Template:N/A Lost Template:N
1993 415,295 32.03% colspan=2 Template:N/A Lost Template:N
2000 518,740 31.01% 969,332 58.49% Won Template:Y
2007 1,914,403 55.90% colspan=2 Template:N/A Won Template:Y
2012 942,327 34.81% 992,556 34.20% Lost Template:N

Wade ran in every presidential election from 1978 to 2012, finally becoming elected President of Senegal in 2000 against incumbent President Abdou Diouf.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Wade was reelected in the first round of the 2007 election, but went on to lose the 2012 election to former Prime Minister Macky Sall.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

National Assembly electionsEdit

Election Party leader Votes % Seats +/– Position Outcome
1978 Abdoulaye Wade 172,948 17.88% Template:Infobox political party/seats New Template:Increase 2nd Template:No2
1983 150,785 13.97% Template:Infobox political party/seats Template:Decrease 10 Template:Steady 2nd Template:No2
1988 275,552 24.74% Template:Infobox political party/seats Template:Increase 9 Template:Steady 2nd Template:No2
1993 321,585 30.21% Template:Infobox political party/seats Template:Increase 10 Template:Steady 2nd Template:No2
1998 233,287 19.1% Template:Infobox political party/seats Template:Decrease 4 Template:Steady 2nd Template:No2
2001Template:Efn 931,617 49.6% Template:Infobox political party/seats Template:Increase 66 Template:Increase 1st Template:Yes2
Template:Small
2007Template:Efn 1,190,609 69.21% Template:Infobox political party/seats Template:Increase 42 Template:Steady 1st Template:Yes2
Template:Small
2012 298,846 15.23% Template:Infobox political party/seats Template:Decrease 113 Template:Decrease 2nd Template:No2
2017Template:Efn 552,095 16.68% Template:Infobox political party/seats Template:Increase 7 Template:Steady 2nd Template:No2
2022Template:Efn 471,517 14.46% Template:Infobox political party/seats Template:Increase 5 Template:Decrease 3rd Template:No2
2024Template:Efn 531,466 14.67% Template:Infobox political party/seats Template:Decrease 8 Template:Increase 2nd Template:No2

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See alsoEdit

ReferencesEdit

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External linksEdit

Template:Senegalese political parties Template:Interlib Template:Authority control