President of Senegal

The president of Senegal (French: Président du Sénégal) is the head of state of Senegal. In accordance with the constitutional reform of 2001 and since a referendum that took place on 20 March 2016, the president is elected for a 5-year term, with a limit of two consecutive terms. The following is a list of presidents of Senegal, since the country gained independence from France in 1960.

Election process

Inauguration

The Senegalese Constitution provides the following oath for the president which must be taken before they enter into office:

"I swear, before God and the people of Senegal, to faithfully execute the office of president of the republic of Senegal, to keep the provisions of the Constitution and laws and to ensure their observance, to devote all my strength to defending constitutional institutions, to defend Senegal's territorial integrity and its independence, and [I swear] to spare no effort to realize the unity of Africa".

Term

Term duration

In 1991, presidential term lengths were extended from five to seven years.

In January 2001, during Abdoulaye Wade's first term, a constitutional referendum reduced the presidential term back to five years.

In July 2008, during Wade's second term, the National Assembly approved a constitutional amendment increasing the length of the presidential term back to seven years, as it was prior to the adoption of the 2001 constitution. This extension did not apply to Abdoulaye Wade's 2007–2012 term.

In 2016, during Macky Sall's first term, per another constitutional referendum, the length of the presidential term was decreased back to five years. The amendments were adopted in constitutional law № 2016-10.