Senegal
Background
The country of Senegal is comprised of 14 regions with the capital city called Dakar.[1] Senegal was once a French colony, and gained its independence on April 4, 1960. Senegal previously tried political unions with Mali in 1959 and Gambia in 1982, but neither of these unions lasted. Currently Senegal is officially a republic. For 40 years (since 1960), the Socialist Party was Senegal's principle political party, but in 2000, the leader of the Senegalese Democratic Party, Abdoulaye Wade, was elected president. Wade has been in the presidential position since 2000, winning the 2007 presidential elections as well.
Though French is the country's official language, there are several other languages spoken including Wolof, Pulaar, Serer, Diola, Mandingo, and Soninke.[2] Moreover, in terms of religious belief, Senegal is 95% Muslim, 4% Christian, ad 1% traditional religions.[3]
Type of System
The judicial system in Senegal is based on the French civil code. Under Article 88 of the Constitution, the judicial branch is composed of the Conseil Constitutionnel, the Conseil d’Etat, the Cour de Cassation, the Cour des Comptes and the Courts and Tribunals.[4] The Conseil Constitutionnel has jurisdiction over the legality of laws passed by parliament. It is comprised of five judges, all of whom are appointed by the president. The Cour de Cassation is the highest court for civil and criminal matters while the Conseil d'Etat is the highest court for administrative law matters.[5]
It should be noted that though Islamic and traditional laws are generally not officially incorporated into the Senegalese judicial system, principles from such law are still strongly influential.
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