Senegal's National Assembly adopts controversial power-balancing reform amid tensions between President Faye and Assembly President Sonko
via SeneNews3 min read
Senegal's National Assembly adopted a bill revising the balance of power between the executive and parliament on Monday, amidst heated exchanges, scuffles, and an opposition boycott. The reform strengthens the powers of the Assembly, led by Ousmane Sonko, and the Prime Minister, while effectively limiting those of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye. Aminata Touré, head of the presidential coalition, criticized the move, stating it appears designed to weaken the President's influence by increasing the Assembly President's powers. The bill was submitted after months of tensions between Faye and Sonko, former political allies, which culminated in Sonko's dismissal as Prime Minister on May 22. Sonko was subsequently elected President of the National Assembly on May 26, after his Pastef party boycotted the new government appointed by President Faye. During Monday's debates, President Faye announced his decision to submit the controversial reform to a referendum, though no date was specified. Justice Minister Moussa Sarr confirmed that the President informed Assembly President Sonko of this decision, citing Article 103 of the Constitution. However, Sonko expressed his opposition to a referendum, urging the President to promulgate the law, arguing that the National Assembly had adopted it with a qualified majority, making it definitive. He referenced a Constitutional Council precedent stating a text is definitive if approved by three-fifths of present deputies. The bill, initiated by S
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Must ReadMamoudou Ibra Kane, leader of the Demain c’est 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.