Senegal’s top court declines to rule on Sonko’s Assembly reinstatement
The Senegalese Constitutional Council announced on June 17 that it lacks jurisdiction to review an opposition challenge against the reinstatement of former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko to the National Assembly and his subsequent election as its president.
The ruling effectively closes the door on opposition efforts to overturn what they deemed an irregular parliamentary restoration and election process. The complainants argued that Sonko’s return to the Assembly and his subsequent leadership violated established parliamentary rules.
The Constitutional Council declared itself “incompetent” to adjudicate the opposition’s complaint about Ousmane Sonko’s reinstatement as a deputy before his election as Assembly president on May 26.
Following his dismissal as Prime Minister, Sonko—charismatic leader of the ruling Pastef party, which holds a commanding majority in Parliament—was restored to his seat in the Assembly and promptly elected to lead the institution.
Opposition claims rejected
The opposition had contested Sonko’s reinstatement and election, alleging procedural violations and labeling the moves a “constitutional coup.”
With no further legal recourse available, critics argue that Sonko’s path to reclaiming his parliamentary seat was flawed. Ousmane Sonko, barred from the March 2024 presidential election, became Prime Minister in April 2024 after his ally Bassirou Diomaye Faye won the presidency.
As Pastef’s top candidate, Sonko secured 130 of the 165 parliamentary seats in the November 2024 legislative elections but temporarily relinquished his mandate to remain Prime Minister.
“A farce we refuse to endorse”
The opposition contended that Sonko should have resigned as Prime Minister before reclaiming his deputy seat, arguing that his simultaneous roles broke parliamentary norms. “We will not lend legitimacy to this charade,” declared opposition lawmaker Abdou Mbow in late April.
Despite the criticism, Sonko remains firmly in place as Assembly president, positioning himself as a potential counterbalance to President Bassirou Diomaye Faye—once a close ally, now a political adversary.
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