Pastef proposes constitutional reform to strengthen institutional balance in Senegal

The proposal, registered as number 17/2026, was introduced by Deputy Mohamed Ayib Salim Daffé and co-signed by five other deputies. The initiative seeks to address long-standing questions about the functioning of state institutions, drawing on recommendations from the 2009 National Assizes, the 2013 National Commission for Institutional Reform, the National Pact for Good Democratic Governance, the 2024 Justice Assizes, and the 2025 National Dialogue on the Political System. The proponents argue that Senegal continues to suffer from an institutional imbalance stemming from the 1962 crisis, with power increasingly concentrated in the Executive.

Key proposed changes include a complete rewriting of the Constitution's preamble to emphasize Senegal's African identity, popular sovereignty over natural resources, the imprescriptibility of international crimes, and the inviolability of the presidential election method and term limits. The reform also suggests transforming the Constitutional Council into a Constitutional Court, comprising nine members a president, a vice-president, and seven judges serving a single six-year term. Three judges would be proposed by the President of the National Assembly, and the others appointed by the President of the Repu