The Socialist Party of Senegal (, PS) is a political party in Senegal. It was the ruling party in Senegal from independence in 1960 until 2000. In the 2000 presidential election, the party's candidate and previous incumbent, Abdou Diof, was defeated by the leader of the Senegalese Democratic Party, Abdoulaye Wade. Ousmane Tanor Dieng has been the First Secretary of the party (also known as the Socialist Party of Senegal party leader) since 1996 and was the presidential candidate in 2007 and 2012. The best-known figure of the Socialist Party was Léopold Sédar Senghor, the first President of Senegal. The Socialist Party of Senegal's goal is to work on the implementation of "democratic socialism" into Senegal's political atmosphere. The implementation of "democratic socialism" includes the establishment of an open, democratic, humanitarian society, while preserving African identity. Since 1976, the Socialist Party of Senegal is the official socialist party choice for the country. There are currently about 1.2 million members in the Socialist Party of Senegal. The Socialist Party is a full member of the Socialist International. Political history The Socialist Party of Senegal was first created in 1958 right before Senegal gained independence. The Party was founded by Leopold Sedar Senghor and it was in power under him politically from 1960 to 1980. The Socialist Party of Senegal was initially known as the Senegalese Progressive Union (Union Progressiste Senegalaise, UPS). Senghor had founded the Senegalese Democratic Bloc in 1948 and in 1958 it merged with another political party to become the UPS. The UPS became the ruling party of Senegal in 1960 once independence was gained. The UPS officially was known as the Socialist Party of Senegal starting in 1976. When Senegal gained independence in 1960, Senghor was unanimously elected president to Senegal's new republic system. He was elected president on September 5, 1960. He had served in the French Constituent Assembly since 1945, therefore he already had political experience when elected president. In the early 1960s, there was a personal and political rivalry between President Senghor and Prime Minister Mamadoua Dia. In 1962, there was a coup attempt. Dia accepted blame and was sent to prison as a result. A new constitution took effect in 1963 and Senegal's parliamentary system became a centralized presidential system. In 1963 Senghor ran unopposed for president and consequently won. By 1966, Senegal was considered a one-party state. This occurred because Senghor was running