People in Senegal began voting Sunday on a proposed new constitution which would enable new President Abdoulaye Wade to dissolve parliament and hold early elections.
The vote comes nine months after Wade, then veteran leader of the opposition, was elected in a landmark vote which ended 40 years of rule by the Socialist Party in the west African country.
Turnout was not high during the morning, even in normally bustling populous districts, after the polls opened at 8:00 am (0800 GMT), but the outcome of the vote was considered a foregone conclusion.
The main parties favor the new constitution, which also provides for the transfer of some presidential powers to the prime minister, a shortening of the presidential mandate, parliamentary changes and sexual equality measures.
Police kept watch over polling booths in the towns, mostly at schools, while troops and gendarmes were posted in the provinces. Most polling stations opened on time, but a few delays were reported where officials were late.
A shorter presidential mandate is expected to please the electorate and boost Wade's reputation as a democrat. The new constitution would reduce the term from seven to five years, renewable only once.
It would also enable Wade, a lawyer and an economic liberal who heads the Social Democratic Party, to dissolve the national assembly, still dominated by his socialist foes. Elections are expected in March.
The Socialist Party leader, Abdou Diouf, had been in office since 1981 and won three elections.
Wade said in a recent television debate that he was not happy with the current basic law as it gives him "all the power.”
The new constitution abolishes the Senate, turning parliament back into a monocameral national assembly.
It allows women to acquire property on the same terms as men, and outlaws forced marriages.
The country has had a jittery transition, reflected in the mixed record of the coalition government, comprised mainly of former opposition leaders who had difficulty stepping into the political breach.
Many Senegalese, while pleased with Wade's open, frank style of leadership, are still waiting to see living conditions, health services, and education standards improve.
For several months, many politicians have been busy maneuvering for the March elections, and debating whether Senegal should adopt a parliamentary or a presidential regime.
The Union for Democratic Renewal (URD), an opposition party headed by Djibo Ka, called for a yes vote.
However, the Party of Work and Independence (PIT) of Amath Dansoho, who was sacked as urbanization minister in November, sought a "massive abstention,” describing the new law as "a democratic regression" which in fact reinforces presidential powers.
Within the ruling coalition, the Alliance of the Forces of Progress (AFP) of Prime Minister Moustapha Niasse, has expressed serious reservations that the law diminishes the powers of parliament.
Not all politicians followed the party line. For instance, the socialist mayor of the southern town of Sedhiou announced that he was voting "no.”
Wade himself was due to vote in the afternoon on his return from Ghana, where he was attending the inauguration of new President John Kufuor, the victor in another major political transition.
While there was no doubt most people would vote "yes" to the constitution, what was less certain was the turnout in an electorate of 2.56 million voters, which the presidential side hopes will be "massive".
Officials said a majority had registered by withdrawing their polling cards.
Almost 140,000 Senegalese living abroad have also been urged to vote.
The 8,670 polling stations were to be stay open until 6:00 pm (1800 GMT), "with a prolongation if necessary," the interior ministry said -- DAKAR (AFP)
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
