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Badara Gadiaga criticizes Ousmane Sonko following incident involving Abdou Mbow in the National Assembly
via SeneNews1 min read
Columnist Badara Gadiaga has strongly criticized former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, labeling him an "apprentice dictator" after an incident in the National Assembly involving deputy Abdou Mbow. Gadiaga's comments, shared on social media, follow a plenary session marked by tensions surrounding Mbow and a proposed bill by majority deputies. Gadiaga asserts that Sonko's stance reflects a concerning understanding of power, suggesting he misunderstands the requirements of a rule of law and contemporary realities. He expressed no surprise at Sonko's call for law enforcement to intervene against Mbow during the exchanges, viewing it as a clear difficulty in accepting dissent and criticism, which Gadiaga considers essential to democratic debate. This reaction occurs amidst significant tensions in the National Assembly, where a session on a constitutional revision proposal saw Abdou Mbow removed from the chamber by security forces.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by SeneNews.
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Must ReadMamoudou Ibra Kane, leader of the Demain c鈥檈st maintenant movement, has strongly reacted to the National Assembly's adoption of the bill to revise the Constitution. He criticized both the procedure leading to the vote and the attitude of the highest state authorities. Kane stated that the text was adopted "forcibly" due to Pastef's "mechanical majority," and denounced incidents during the plenary session, including the expulsion of Deputy Abdou Mbow by gendarmes and the arrests of opponents and civil society members outside Parliament. He also questioned the timing of the President's communication regarding his favorable opinion on a referendum, noting that President Bassirou Diomaye Faye only made his position public during the plenary session, despite having reportedly transmitted it days earlier to the National Assembly President. Kane believes neither the Head of State nor the Assembly President informed Senegalese citizens of this position before the debates, drawing a parallel with the 2024 dissolution of the National Assembly. The former journalist asserted his conviction that Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Ousmane Sonko pursue the same political strategy, stating, "Faye and Sonko, it's the same donkey!" He believes that after jointly gaining power, they will do everything to retain it. Kane concluded by calling on opponents and citizens, whom he described as "resistors," to mobilize further against the current political situation.