Senegal’s National Assembly has approved a sweeping constitutional amendment that shifts authority from the presidency to parliament, setting off clashes with demonstrators outside the legislature in Dakar.
The bill passed by a large majority Monday after tense debate, deepening the rift between President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and National Assembly Speaker Ousmane Sonko. The two men swept to power together in 2024 but have since become political opponents.
Lawmakers voted to expand parliament’s oversight role. Key changes include:
- Stronger investigative powers for MPs, plus a requirement that the government share natural resource agreements with parliament.
- A new Constitutional Court with nine members to replace the current seven-member Constitutional Council.
- A ban on sitting presidents leading political parties, seen as targeting Faye, who is still a member of Sonko’s Pastef party.
- Limits on presidential decrees during the transition between an election and a new president’s inauguration.
- Broader authority for parliamentary committees.
Pastef controls 130 of the 165 seats in the Assembly and says the reforms reinforce the separation of executive, legislative, and judicial powers.
Opposition MPs walked out during the vote. Outside, police used tear gas to disperse protesters who accuse Pastef of using the changes to weaken Faye and boost Sonko’s influence.
Justice Minister Moussa Sarr told the Assembly that Faye plans to put the amendments to a national referendum, though no date was set. Sonko immediately challenged that, arguing the bill was already validly adopted by the parliamentary majority.
The feud escalated in May when Faye dismissed Sonko as prime minister over disagreements on debt management. Sonko was then elected speaker by the Pastef-dominated Assembly.
Civil society groups and opposition parties have called for the bill to be withdrawn.
