Soham El Wardini
{{Short description|Mayor of Dakar}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Soham El Wardini
| image = 2018-10-18 Closing ceremony at 2018 Summer Youth Olympics by Sandro Halank–254 (cropped).jpg
| image_size =
| image_upright =
| alt =
| caption = El Wardini at the Closing Ceremony of the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics
| order =
| office = Mayor of Dakar
| term_start = September 29, 2018
| term_end = January 23, 2022
| monarch =
| president = Macky Sall
| predecessor = Khalifa Sall
| successor = Barthélemy Dias
| office2 = Deputy Mayor of Dakar
| term_start2 = 2014
| term_end2 = August 31, 2018
| president2 = Macky Sall
| predecessor2 = Position established
| successor2 = Position abolished
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1953}}{{cite web |author1=Abdur Rahman Alfa Shaban |title=Senegal capital gets historic female mayor: Soham El Wardini |url=https://www.africanews.com/2018/10/03/senegal-capital-gets-historic-female-mayor-soham-el-wardini// |website=Africanews |access-date=9 April 2023 |language=en |date=10 March 2018}}
| birth_place = Latmingué, Kaolack Region
| alma_mater = Cheikh Anta Diop University
}}
Soham El Wardini (born in 1953) is a Senegalese politician and former mayor of Dakar, Senegal. She is the first woman to be mayor of post-independence Dakar and the first deputy mayor of the city.
Biography
Wardini was born in 1953 in the rural community of Latmingué, Kaolack Region, Senegal.{{cite web |last1=Kiunguyu |first1=Kylie |title=Soham El Wardini is Dakar's first post-independence female mayor |url=https://thisisafrica.me/soham-el-wardini-dakars-first-female-mayor/ |website=This Is Africa |accessdate=15 February 2019 |location=Dakar |date=4 October 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190218081902/https://thisisafrica.me/soham-el-wardini-dakars-first-female-mayor/|archive-date=18 February 2019}} She and her 10 siblings were born to a Senegalese mother and Lebanese father.{{cite web |author1=El Hadji Ibrahima Thiam |title=Une Dame De Cœur |url=https://www.seneplus.com/article/une-dame-de-c%C5%93ur |website=Seneplus |accessdate=16 February 2019 |language=fr |date=9 January 2015}} Following her father's death, her family moved to the city of Kaolack, where she attended high school. She majored in English at Cheikh Anta Diop University (then University of Dakar) and taught at various colleges.{{cite web |last1=Seck |first1=Momar Diack |title=Entrée historique de Soham Wardin à la Mairie de Dakar : Entretien avec Fouad Wardini, son frère, pour le Portrait d'une Sénégalaise, bon teint |url=http://www.lactuacho.com/entree-historique-de-soham-wardin-a-la-mairie-de-dakar-entretien-avec-fouad-wardini-son-frere-pour-le-portrait-dune-senegalaise-bon-teint/ |website=Lactuacho |accessdate=17 February 2019 |language=fr-FR |date=4 October 2018}}
Wardini won the title of Miss Senegal and Miss Senegambia in 1970.{{cite web |title=Portrait : la Maire de Dakar Soham El Wardini a été 'Miss Sénégal' 1970 |url=https://www.tract.sn/portrait-la-maire-de-dakar-soham-el-wardini-a-ete-miss-senegal-1970/ |website=Tract |accessdate=17 February 2019 |language=fr-FR |date=3 October 2018}}
Career
In 1999, Wardini joined the Alliance of the Forces of Progress. Following the split of the AFP in 2012, she joined mayor of Dakar, Khalifa Sall's faction{{cite web |last1=Maillard |first1=Matteo |title=Qui est Soham El Wardini, première femme maire de Dakar ? |url=https://kassataya.com/2018/10/02/qui-est-soham-el-wardini-premiere-femme-maire-de-dakar/ |website=Kassataya |accessdate=16 February 2019 |language=fr |date=2 October 2018}} and became his deputy in 2014 – the first and only deputy mayor in the city's history.{{cite web |last1=Ba |first1=Mehdi |title=Sénégal : Soham El Wardini, désormais officiellement à la tête de la mairie de Dakar |url=https://www.jeuneafrique.com/mag/589610/politique/rencontre-avec-senegal-soham-el-wardini-mairie-dakar-khalifa-sall/ |website=Jeune Afrique |accessdate=16 February 2019 |location=Dakar |language=fr-FR |date=12 July 2018}} In March 2017, Khalifa Sall was sentenced to five-years for the embezzlement of {{currency|1.8 billion|XOF}} in public funds.{{cite web |title=Opposition leaders Khalifa Sall and Karim Wade barred from Senegal's presidential race |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20190114-senegal-opposition-leaders-khalifa-sall-karim-wade-barred-presidential-election |website=France 24 |accessdate=16 February 2019 |language=en |date=14 January 2019}} Wardini was placed as acting mayor until August 2017, when president Macky Sall dismissed Khalifa Sall in a presidential decree.{{cite web |last1=Liffran |first1=Olivier |title=Sénégal : Khalifa Sall révoqué par Macky Sall de son mandat de maire de Dakar |url=https://www.jeuneafrique.com/622807/politique/senegal-khalifa-sall-revoque-par-macky-sall-de-son-mandat-de-maire-de-dakar/ |website=Jeune Afrique |accessdate=17 February 2019 |location=Dakar |language=fr-FR |date=31 August 2018}}
In September 2018, Wardini ran for mayor of Dakar and was elected with a majority vote in city council with 64 votes.{{cite web |last1=Sané |first1=Youssouf |title=Mairie de Dakar : Soham El Wardini remplace Khalifa Sall |url=http://www.seneweb.com/news/Politique/mairie-de-dakar-soham-el-wardini-remplac_n_260336.html |website=Seneweb |accessdate=17 February 2019 |location=Dakar |language=fr |date=29 September 2018}} She won over candidates Banda Diop with 13 votes and Moussa Sy with 11 votes.{{cite web |last1=Waweru |first1=Nduta |title=Meet Soham El Wardini, the first female mayor of Senegal's capital since 1960 |url=https://face2faceafrica.com/article/meet-soham-el-wardini-the-first-female-mayor-of-senegals-capital-since-1960 |website=Face2Face Africa |accessdate=17 February 2019 |location=Dakar |language=en |date=5 October 2018}} Wardini became the first woman to be mayor of Dakar, post-independence.{{cite web |author1=PH |title=Soham El Wardini Becomes the First Female Mayor of Dakar, Senegal |url=https://howafrica.com/soham-el-wardini-becomes-the-first-female-mayor-of-dakar-senegal/ |website=How Africa News |accessdate=17 February 2019 |language=en |date=3 October 2018}}
On October 8, 2018, the 133rd IOC Session voted unanimously for Dakar to host the 2022 Summer Youth Olympics,{{cite web |title=Le Sénégal organisera les Jeux olympiques de la jeunesse en 2022 |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/afrique/article/2018/10/09/le-senegal-organisera-les-jeux-olympiques-de-la-jeunesse-en-2022_5366718_3212.html |website=Le Monde |accessdate=17 February 2019 |location=Dakar |language=fr |date=9 October 2018}} the first Olympic games to be hosted in Africa.{{cite web |last1=Gueye |first1=Fatou |title=JOJ 2022: Le maire Soham Wadini a reçu le drapeau Olympique |url=https://www.senenews.com/actualites/joj-2022-le-maire-soham-wadini-a-recu-le-drapeau-olympique_251040.html |website=SeneNews |accessdate=17 February 2019 |location=Buenos Aires |language=fr-FR |date=19 October 2018}} During the closing ceremony of the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics, Buenos Aires mayor Horacio Rodríguez Larreta and IOC president Thomas Bach handed the Olympic flag to Wardini.{{cite web |title=Ciudad de Buenos Aires: Juegos Olímpicos de la Juventud: La Fiesta de despedida |url=http://politica3d.com.ar/actualidad/ciudad-de-buenos-aires-juegos-olimpicos-de-la-juventud-la-fiesta-de-despedida/ |website=Política 3D |accessdate=17 February 2019 |location=Buenos Aires |language=es-ES |date=19 October 2018}}
Soham El Wardini will not be able to run for the next local election.{{cite web |last1=Ba |first1=Mehdi |title=Sénégal : la maire de Dakar, Soham El Wardini, empêchée de se présenter |url=https://www.jeuneafrique.com/1256996/politique/senegal-la-maire-de-dakar-soham-el-wardini-empechee-de-se-presenter/ |website=Jeune Afrique |accessdate=27 October 2021 |location=Dakar |language=fr-FR |date=27 October 2021}}
References
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Category:21st-century mayors of places in Senegal
Category:Women mayors of places in Senegal
Category:Cheikh Anta Diop University alumni