Abdou Diouf

Abdou Diouf
Abdu Juuf
Diouf in 2008
2nd Secretary-General of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie
In office 1 January 2003 – 31 December 2014
Preceded by	Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Succeeded by	Michaëlle Jean
2nd President of Senegal
In office 1 January 1981 – 1 April 2000
Prime Minister	Habib Thiam Moustapha Niasse Habib Thiam Mamadou Lamine Loum
Preceded by	Léopold Sédar Senghor
Succeeded by	Abdoulaye Wade
President of Senegambia
In office 12 December 1981 – 30 September 1989
Vice President	Dawda Jawara
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Office abolished
2nd Prime Minister of Senegal
In office 26 February 1970 – 31 December 1980
President	Léopold Sédar Senghor
Preceded by	Mamadou Dia (1962)
Succeeded by	Habib Thiam
Personal details
Born	(1935-09-07) 7 September 1935 (age 89) Louga, French West Africa (now Senegal)
Political party	Socialist Party
Spouse	Elizabeth Diouf
Alma mater	University of Dakar Pantheon-Sorbonne University

Abdou Diouf (US: /ˈɑːbduː diˈuːf/ ^ⓘ AHB-doo dee-OOF; Serer: Abdu Juuf; born 7 September 1935)^[1] is a Senegalese politician who was the second president of Senegal from 1981 to 2000.

Diouf is notable both for coming to power by peaceful succession and leaving willingly after losing the 2000 presidential election to long opposition-leader Abdoulaye Wade. He was also the second Secretary-General of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie from January 2003 to December 2014.^{[citation needed]}

Diouf was born into the Joof family in Louga, Senegal, the child of an Halpulaar mother and a Serer father. He attended primary and secondary school at the Lycée Faidherbe in Saint-Louis. He studied law at Dakar University and then at the Sorbonne in Paris. Diouf graduated in 1959.^[2]

After graduation, Diouf returned to Senegal, where, in September 1960, he was appointed Director of International Technical Cooperation. In November 1960, he became assistant to the Secretary-General of the Government; in June 1961, he became Secretary-General of the Ministry of Defense.^[1][2] In 1961 he joined the Senegalese Progressive Union (Union Progressiste Sénégalaise, UPS), which later became the Socialist Party of Senegal.^[2] In December 1961 he became Governor of the Sine-Saloum Region, serving in that position until December 1962, when he became Director of the Cabinet of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In May 1963, he became Director of the Cabinet of President Léopold Senghor, where he remained until December 1965. In January 1964, he became Secretary-General of the Presidency until March 1968, when he became Minister of Planning and Industry. He remained in the latter position until February 1970, when he was named Prime Minister.^[1]

In 1970, Senghor reinstated the post of prime minister, giving it to Diouf, his protégé. Senghor trusted Diouf, who had administrative experience but no independent power base.^[3] This was important, for Senghor's last prime minister, Mamadou Dia, was accused of using the position to launch a coup d'état. On 1 January 1981, Senghor resigned in favor of Diouf, who became president of Senegal.

Diouf continued the political liberalization Senghor had begun by holding elections in 1983. He allowed fourteen opposition parties to run instead of the four Senghor had allowed. The practical effect was to fragment the opposition, and Diouf won with 83.5 percent of the vote.^[4]

In 1985, opposing parties tried to form a coalition. It was broken up because the national constitution forbade coalitions.^[5] Also in 1985, Abdoulaye Wade, Diouf's main political opponent, was temporarily arrested for unlawful demonstration.^[6]

In February 1988, elections were held again. Diouf won 72.3 percent of the vote to Wade's 25.8 percent, and opposing parties alleged electoral fraud. Disturbances followed, and Diouf declared a state of emergency, detaining Wade again until May of that year.^[7]

Under Diouf, Senegal agreed to form a confederation called Senegambia with neighboring Gambia on 12 December 1981; this union took place on 1 February 1982. In April 1989, the Mauritania-Senegal Border War developed, leading to an outbreak of ethnic violence and the severing of diplomatic relations with Mauritania. As the region destabilized, Senegambia was dissolved.

In 1986, Diouf began an anti-AIDS program in Senegal before the virus was able to take off in earnest. He used the media and schools to promote safe-sex messages and required prostitutes to be registered. He also encouraged civic organizations and both Christian and Muslim religious leaders to raise awareness about AIDS. The result was that while AIDS was decimating much of Africa, the infection rate for Senegal stayed below 2 percent.^[8]

Diouf was reelected in February 1993 with 58% of the vote^[9] to a 7-year term; presidential term lengths had been extended by two years in 1991.^[10] In the first round of the 2000 elections, on 27 February, he took 41.3% of the vote against 30.1% for the long-time opposition leader Abdoulaye Wade. Still, in the second round on 19 March, he received only 41.5% against 58.5% for Wade.^[9] Diouf conceded defeat and left office on 1 April.^{[citation needed]}

One of Diouf's greatest contributions to African peace came from this electoral defeat, for he gracefully surrendered power to Abdoulaye Wade, his long-time rival. When Diouf left office, Wade even said he should receive a Nobel Peace Prize for leaving without violence.^[11]

Diouf was Deputy Secretary-General of the Socialist Party under Senghor. He became Secretary-General in 1981, and when the party was restructured^[1] at its Thirteenth Congress in 1996,^[12] he was moved to the position of President of the PS,^[1] while Ousmane Tanor Dieng became First Secretary, having been proposed by Diouf.^[12]

Diouf has been active in international organizations both during and after his presidency. He was President of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) from 1985 to 1986. Soon after his election, he made a personal plea to François Mitterrand, the President of France, resulting in France speaking strongly for sanctions against South Africa. In 1992, he was again reelected President of the OAU for another year-long term. He was also instrumental in establishing the Goree Institute.

After leaving office as President of Senegal, he was unanimously elected as Secretary-General of La Francophonie at that organization's Ninth Summit on 20 October 2002 in Beirut,^[13][14] following the withdrawal of the only other candidate, Henri Lopes of the Republic of the Congo.^[13][15] Diouf took office as Secretary-General on 1 January 2003.^[16] He was reelected as Secretary-General for another four years at the organization's summit in Bucharest in September 2006.^[17]

Diouf is an Eminent Member of the Sergio Vieira de Mello Foundation.

He is also a member of the Fondation Chirac's honour committee,^[18] ever since the foundation was launched in 2008 by former French president Jacques Chirac in order to promote world peace and on the International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber Threats (IMPACT) International Advisory Board.^[19] Additionally, he is one of the 25 leading figures on the Information and Democracy Commission launched by Reporters Without Borders.^[20]

Ribbon bar	Country	Honour
	Senegal	Grand Cross of the National Order of the Lion
	Senegal	Grand Cross of the National Order of Merit
	France	Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour
	Canada	Grand officier of the National Order of Quebec
	DR Congo	Grand Cordon of the Order of the National Heroes Kabila-Lumumba[21]
	DR Congo	Grand Cordon of the National Order of the Leopard
	Organisation internationale de la Francophonie	Grand Cross of the Order of La Pléiade
	United Kingdom	Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
	South Africa	Grand Cross of the Order of Good Hope
	Austria	Grand Star of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria
	Portugal	Grand Cross of the Military Order of Saint James of the Sword
	Libya	Grand Cordon of the Order of the Grand Conqueror

Political offices
Vacant Title last held by Mamadou Dia	Prime Minister of Senegal 1970–1980	Succeeded by Habib Thiam
Preceded by Léopold Sédar Senghor	President of Senegal 1981–2000	Succeeded by Abdoulaye Wade
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Julius Nyerere	Chairperson of the Organisation of African Unity 1985–1986	Succeeded by Denis Sassou-Nguesso
Preceded by Ibrahim Babangida	Chairperson of the Organisation of African Unity 1992–1993	Succeeded by Hosni Mubarak
Preceded by Dawda Jawara	Chairperson of the Economic Community of West African States 1992–1993	Succeeded by Nicéphore Soglo
Preceded by Boutros Boutros-Ghali	Secretary General of the La Francophonie 2003–2014	Succeeded by Michaëlle Jean