Professor Meïssa Diakhaté analyzes the President's power to dissolve the National Assembly

Professor Meïssa Diakhaté, a research professor at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, presented an analysis at a WATHI think tank roundtable, highlighting a structural imbalance in Senegal's institutional framework. He argues that the President holds a dominant position over the National Assembly, largely due to the power to dissolve the legislative body. This power, while constitutionally framed not to be exercised during the first two years of a legislature or during exceptional powers, gives the President what he terms a "right of life or death over the National Assembly." Conversely, Professor Diakhaté points out the absence of a symmetrical mechanism for the National Assembly to end the presidential mandate. He notes that while a motion of no confidence can be directed against the government, its effectiveness is limited as the President can re-form a similar government, and a new motion cannot be immediately reintroduced. This creates a persistent asymmetry favoring the Executive. Beyond the dissolution power, Professor Diakhaté identifies several structural obstacles to parliamentary work. These include the need for prior authorization from the executive hierarchy for parliamentary hearings of government members and public officials, and the short timeframes for examining legislative texts. He states that bills with hundreds of articles are sometimes adopted after only a few hours of debate, limiting parliamentary oversight. To address these issues, he advocates for