At stake in this election:

• The office of President of Senegal

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Abdou DIOUF
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Mamadou Lamine LOUM
• Assembly: Senegal has a unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale) with 140 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by popular vote to serve a 7-year term.
• Prime Minister is appointed by the president.
• In the National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale) 140 members are elected by popular vote to serve 4-year terms.

Main Candidates in the First Round of the Presidential race:

• Abdoulaye WADE
  • Party: Alternance 2000
• Abdou DIOUF
  • Party: Socialist Party
• Moustapha NIASSE
  • Party: Alliance of the Forces of Progress
• Djibo Leïty Kâ
  • Party: Union for Democratic Renewal

Last Presidential election:

• The last presidential election was held on February 21, 1993. President Abdou DIOUF received 58.4% of the vote, defeating the Senegalese Democratic Party candidate, Abdoulaye WADE, who received 32.0%.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 9,860,578 (2000)
• Registered Voters: 2,745,239 (2000)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 5,007,745 (2000)

·         Is Senegal a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (29 July 1980)

·         Has Senegal ratified CEDAW: Yes (5 February 1985)

·         Gender Quota: Yes[2]

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 17 (following the 1998 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 170 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Medium (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Senegal a signatory to CRPD: Yes (25 April 2007)

·         Has Senegal ratified CRPD: Yes (7 September 2010)

·         Population with a disability: 1,479,086 (est.)