Senegal political shakeup as assembly president resigns

The Senegalese political landscape is facing another major upheaval following the resignation of National Assembly President El Malick Ndiaye on Sunday. This unexpected move could pave the way for former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko to assume the parliamentary leadership just days after his abrupt removal from office by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.

In a Facebook statement, El Malick Ndiaye cited institutional vision and national interest as his reasons for stepping down, without elaborating further. A staunch ally of Sonko, he had held the Assembly presidency since the Pastef party’s landslide victory in the 2024 legislative elections, securing 130 of the 165 available seats.

Lawmakers are scheduled to convene in a plenary session on Tuesday to first reinstate Ousmane Sonko as a deputy before electing a new Assembly president. This development would significantly amplify the influence of the Pastef leader, who maintains strong grassroots support across Senegal.

Earlier on Friday, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye terminated his Prime Minister’s duties, signaling a political rift between the two figures who had jointly assumed power in April 2024. Sonko, barred from running in the presidential election due to a prior judicial conviction, had backed Faye’s candidacy under the campaign slogan « Diomaye Moy Sonko ».

The relationship between the two leaders had been deteriorating publicly for months. Sonko criticized what he perceived as insufficient political decisiveness from the president and delayed prosecutions against figures from the previous administration of Macky Sall, accused of corruption.

In turn, President Faye had expressed concerns about Sonko’s growing influence within both the administration and the ruling party. The rupture deepened after Sonko’s latest parliamentary criticisms regarding the management of political funds.

Despite his removal from the government, Ousmane Sonko continues to wield substantial political clout. Hundreds of supporters gathered outside his Dakar residence on Friday evening, turning his dismissal into a public display of solidarity.

The president now faces the task of appointing a new Prime Minister, who will require Assembly approval in an increasingly volatile political climate.