SENEGAL: A CONTROVERSIAL RETURN TO BICAMERALISM

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DAKAR 000117 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR AF/W, AF/RSA, DRL AND INR/AA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL PINS KDEM ECON SG SUBJECT: SENEGAL: A CONTROVERSIAL RETURN TO BICAMERALISM ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Senegal's return to bicameralism, following a February 2007 amendment to the Constitution, was widely perceived as a huge waste of funds and driven by a desire to create privileges for a growing political class rather than strengthening the country's democratic architecture. Three months after its inaugural session in October, the Senate is still striving to justify its existence to a citizenry that has lost faith in the legislature. End Summary. A Rejected Institution -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Fulfilling an election promise to downsize political institutions, President Abdoulaye Wade disbanded Senegal's Senate in ¶2001. However, seven years later, Wade has not only re-established all the institutions he had eliminated but he has significantly increased the number of professional politicians. Many Senegalese are bitter about this U-turn and have voiced sharp criticisms against Wade's consistent tendency to use scarce public resources to reward political allies. Would be House of Wisdom -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Senate 2.0, where the President appoints 65 out of its 100 members, reflects Wade's view that it should be "a chamber of wisdom," which is why the Constitution stipulates that senators have to be at least 40 years old to be eligible. An unusual factor is that about 30 percent of its members are an illiterate group of mainly Wolof speakers who are not part of the ruling elite and who have taken it upon themselves to focus on how the government can help the poor. Senator Khardiata Mendy of Casamance is one of the charismatic figures in this group as highlighted by a December 2007 budget debate when she upbraided the Minister of Agriculture about a lack of policies to motivate farmers, "During this rainy season, I personally cleared vast areas of land with just my machete, but I received neither fertilizers nor seeds from the government. It is this lack of support that discourages young people who say that farming is no longer worth the trouble." Deficit of Legitimacy -------------- ¶4. (SBU) While constitutionally a second law-making chamber the Senate actually functions as a consultative body. Thus, while the Constitution allows 21 days for the Senate to do a "second reading" of bills examined by the Assembly, bills still become law even if the Senate does not approve them. Furthermore, mechanisms to harmonize the relationship between the two chambers and regulations giving the Senate power to block the passing of legislation have yet to be enacted. The current President of the Senate, Dakar Mayor Pape Diop, who was appointed by Wade and who will be interim President for 90 days if the incumbent cannot serve, suggested that an Ombudsman be appointed to create a bridge between the two legislative chambers. Spoiled politicians -------------- ¶5. (SBU) A senior staff member of the Senate told Embassy that "most senators are very happy with their remuneration package. They each get a free SUV, a monthly salary of USD 3,000 (Senegal's minimum wage is 80 dollars per month),and diplomatic passports for each senator and one spouse." He further commented that "many of the senators had retired [from politics] and so the benefits they receive were totally unexpected." In search of credibility -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The Senate's budget rapporteur told the Embassy that the Senate's main priority is to increase its credibility as a legislative body and to that end a number of new rules have been implemented to "encourage" participation. The regulations of the Senate state that a Senator who misses committee work without proper justification will not be allowed to take the floor in plenary sessions. Furthermore, sanctions in the form of salary deductions will be levied to all senators guilty of absenteeism. To make its work more efficient during budget review, technical committees have been eliminated and the financial committee that questions ministers is open to all senators though only committee members can vote. The first decision of the President of the Senate was to organize a training session to familiarize the majority of the members with the functions of a Senate and the rudiments of budget law. He also sent them across the country to identify key economic problems and to relay their findings to the various ministers during the examination of the ministries' budgets. ¶7. (SBU) During a discussion of the budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, senators used foreign policy issues to underline their credentials as defenders of Senegal's interests and of the DAKAR 00000117 002 OF 002 Islamic Umah. They regretted that Senegal's support of the PLO had weakened since the election of Hamas and the advent of Mahmud Abbas. They wondered if that was due to the strengthening of economic exchanges with Israel. They also vigorously condemned the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) that the European Union is asking to sign with African countries to comply with the WTO's non-discrimination regulations. One senator called the agreements "a declaration of war." Comment -------------- ¶8. (SBU) The creation of the Senate is mostly an effort by President Wade to provide patronage to political allies but is also attempt to divide and control the legislative branch and the country's other leading politicians. Many senior politicians with the clout to resist the president are likely to be tempted by the trappings of prestige and power in the Senate only to find themselves without the ability to impact legislation or policy. More importantly, repeated constitutional amendments are undermining the stability of Senegal's institutions and perhaps its democracy. SMITH