Iba Der Thiam

Iba Der Thiam, also known as ID. Thiam, (born 26 February 1937[1]) is a Senegalese writer, historian, and politician. He served in the government of Senegal as Minister of Education from 1983 to 1988; later, he was First Vice-President of the National Assembly of Senegal from 2001 to 2012.

Life and career

Thiam became an Associate Professor of History at the University of Dakar in October 1974.[1] He was imprisoned under President Léopold Sédar Senghor for attempting to organize the country's intellectuals. Under President Abdou Diouf, he served in the government as Minister of National Education from 1983 to 1988.[2][3] In September 1987, he founded the "Abdoo nu dooy" movement to campaign for Diouf's re-election in the February 1988 presidential election.[4] He was dismissed from the government after the 1988 election[3] and founded the Convention of Democrats and Patriots (CDP/Garab-gi) in June 1992.[5]

Thiam was the CDP's candidate in the February 1993 presidential election.[6] He was also elected to the National Assembly in 1993; he was re-elected as the CDP's only deputy in 1998.[2] In late August 1999, Thiam was again designated as the CDP's candidate for the 2000 presidential election.[6] He received 1.21% of the popular vote in the first round of the election, held on February 27, 2000,[7] and he said on March 1 that Diouf's failure to win a majority in the first round was the result of popular disillusionment associated with a pay rise for deputies that was announced during the campaign.[8] He backed opposition leader Abdoulaye Wade in the second round; Wade won the election.[3] Thiam was re-elected to the National Assembly through national list proportional representation as a candidate of the pro-Wade Sopi Coalition in the 2001 parliamentary election,[9] and during Wade's presidency he has served as First Vice-President of the National Assembly.[10] The CDP/Garab-gi merged with Wade's Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS) in May 2005.[11]

In 2007 he was the keynote speaker at the Law and Religion Symposium at Brigham Young University.

Thiam was re-elected to the National Assembly as a candidate of the Sopi Coalition in the June 2007 parliamentary election, winning his seat through national list proportional representation.[12] Following the election, on June 20, 2007 he was re-elected as First Vice-President of the National Assembly.[13] It was reported that he declined an offer from President Wade to become a Minister of State, preferring to remain in his National Assembly post.[14] As of 2007, Thiam is the Coordinator of the Convergence of Actions around the President of the Republic for the 21st Century (CAP 21), a coalition of 47 parties supporting Wade.[15]

Wade was defeated in the February–March 2012 presidential election, and the PDS was badly beaten in the July 2012 parliamentary election. Thiam was not re-elected to the National Assembly, but Souleymane Ndéné Ndiaye resigned his parliamentary seat in December 2012, and Thiam, as the top PDS alternate candidate, replaced him as a Deputy in the National Assembly.[16] He took his seat on 7 January 2013, although some expressed concern that Thiam, an elderly man, was in poor health.[17]

Some of Thiam's academic work

References

  1. 1 2 Africa year book and who's who (1977), page 1,339.
  2. 1 2 Page about Thiam as a candidate for the 2000 presidential election, Afrique Express.
  3. 1 2 3 "Iba Der Thiam pourrait hériter du fauteuil, selon Nouvel Horizon", Nettali, 8 June 2007 (French).
  4. ↑ Donal Cruise O'Brien, Momar-Coumba Diop, Mamadou Diouf, La construction de l'Etat au Sénégal (2002), KARTHALA Editions, page 114 (French).
  5. ↑ Frederic C. Schaffer, Democracy in Translation: Understanding Politics in an Unfamiliar Culture (1998), Cornell University Press, page 24.
  6. 1 2 "Senegal: Opposition leader Thiam to stand for president", Radio France Internationale, (nl.newsbank.com), August 30, 1999.
  7. ↑ "RAPPORT DES MISSIONS D’OBSERVATIONS DES ELECTIONS PRESIDENTIELLES - 27 FEVRIER 2000 : 1ER TOUR DU SCRUTIN, 19 MARS 2000 : 2E TOUR DU SCRUTIN", democratie.francophonie.org (French).
  8. ↑ "Senegal: Candidate Thiam says MPs'salary rise cost Diouf first round victory", Panapress, March 3, 2000.
  9. ↑ List of deputies elected in the 2001 election at the Wayback Machine (archived April 22, 2003), gouv.sn (French).
  10. ↑ List of members of the Bureau of the National Assembly at the Wayback Machine (archived August 11, 2002), gouv.sn (French).
  11. ↑ "Senegalese parties merge", RTS TV, Dakar (nl.newsbank.com), May 9, 2005.
  12. ↑ "Le Conseil constitutionnel confirme définitivement la large victoire de la Coalition Sopi", Le Soleil (Seneweb.com), June 15, 2007 (French).
  13. ↑ Ibrahima Lissa Faye, "La majorité « mécanique » libérale annonce la couleur", Sud Quotidien (sudonline.sn), June 21, 2007 (French).
  14. ↑ "Comment Aminata Tall a été laissée sur la touche", Nettali, June 21, 2007 (French).
  15. ↑ Bacary Domingo Mane, "Le Pr Iba Der Thiam porté en triomphe par 47 partis", Sud Quotidien, December 6, 2007 (French).
  16. ↑ "Démission de Souleymane Ndéné Ndiaye : Iba Der Thiam redevient député", Seneweb, 27 December 2012 (French).
  17. ↑ "Assemblée Nationale : Suppléant de Souleymane Ndéné Ndiaye, Iba Der Thiam prend fonction", Leral.net, 7 January 2013 (French).
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