Who runs local government in Senegal?

Since the 2013 'Act III' decentralisation reform, Senegal has two levels of elected local government: departments (43 departmental councils) and 557 communes, including five cities. Councils are elected every five years, and mayors and departmental presidents are the heads of the winning lists. The state runs a parallel chain of appointed governors, prefects and sub-prefects. Sufi brotherhoods, such as the Mourides and Tijanis, and village chiefs carry considerable social authority, and village chiefs are recognised as auxiliaries of the administration.

Republic of Senegal · Unitary presidential republic · Western Africa

The levels of government below the nation

Level	How it is chosen	What it does
Administrative regions (14)	Governor appointed by the president	State administration only since 2013 (regions are no longer local governments).
Departments (46 administrative; 43 departmental councils)	Prefect appointed by the president; departmental council elected for five years, and its president is the head of the winning list	Local government for coordination and investment; in Dakar, Pikine and Guédiawaye the city takes the departmental council's role.
Arrondissements	Sub-prefect appointed	State administration.
Communes (557, including 5 cities: Dakar, Pikine, Guédiawaye, Rufisque, Thiès)	Municipal council elected for five years; mayor is the head of the winning list	Civil registration, local roads, markets, primary schools, health posts, local planning.
Villages and neighbourhoods	Village chiefs and neighbourhood delegates chosen locally and appointed by the administration	Smallest units of the commune; help collect local taxes and keep records.

Three questions about local power in Senegal

Are local leaders elected?

Departmental and municipal councils are elected (last in January 2022); mayors and departmental presidents are heads of winning lists. Governors, prefects and sub-prefects are appointed. Religious leaders inherit or are designated by their brotherhoods.

Which laws set up local government?

Departments and communes are in the General Code of Local Authorities (2013). Village chiefs are formal auxiliaries. Brotherhood leaders have no legal role.

Who are local leaders accountable to?

Voters; the state's representatives check legality of local decisions; courts. Religious leaders answer to their followers and brotherhood.

Traditional and customary authority

Senegal has no recognised kings or chiefs with legal power, but two kinds of non-elected authority matter a lot. First, Sufi brotherhoods (the Mouride, Tijani, Layène and Qadiri orders) are led by religious families whose leaders (khalifs) are widely followed; the holy city of Touba, centre of the Mouride brotherhood, has an unusual arrangement in which the brotherhood's leadership has strong influence over land and public order. Second, village chiefs and neighbourhood delegates, often from founding families, are formally appointed as auxiliaries of the administration to help collect taxes and keep local records. Islamic family law applies only in certain family matters, under the Family Code.

Community and neighbourhood power

Neighbourhood associations (associations sportives et culturelles), women's savings groups (tontines) and religious associations (dahiras) are very active and link residents to councils and brotherhoods. Hometown associations of migrants fund local projects.

Points to know

Act III (2013) abolished regions as local governments and made departments local governments instead.
Since the 2021–22 local elections, mayors and departmental council presidents are effectively chosen directly by voters as heads of lists, rather than by the council afterwards.
Senegal has had regular, competitive local elections since the 1990s, and opposition coalitions won several big cities in 2022.

Local terms

Acte III: The 2013 decentralisation reform that created departmental councils.
Chef de village: Village chief, appointed by the administration as its local auxiliary.
Khalife général: The head of a Sufi brotherhood, such as the Mourides.
Dahira: A local religious association linked to a brotherhood.

Sources

Constitution of the Republic of Senegal 2001 (rev. 2016), Constitute Project, checked 14 October 2026
Senegal: country profile (subnational government structure and finance, 2022 edition), OECD–UCLG World Observatory on Subnational Government Finance and Investment (SNG-WOFI), checked 14 October 2026
Secrétariat général du Gouvernement du Sénégal – official site, Government of Senegal, checked 14 October 2026