Following the National Assembly’s endorsement of the proposed constitutional revision, Ousmane Sonko meticulously outlined the entire process that led to this significant reform. He then directly pointed to the Head of State’s responsibility for the controversies that have enveloped the text. Sonko declared, “Any manipulation, if it occurred, originated from the President of the Republic. He reviewed the document, selecting what suited his agenda and disregarding what did not. The Constitution is not the personal property of Bassirou Diomaye Faye.”
The President of the National Assembly further illustrated his argument by citing specific provisions he accuses the Head of State of having disregarded. These included stipulations such as the mandatory declaration of assets at the end of a presidential term and the prohibition for the President of the Republic from simultaneously leading a political party. Sonko then questioned the legitimacy of such an approach, asserting, “By what right can a single individual choose between provisions that are convenient and those that are not? This is utterly unacceptable.”
Indeed, Ousmane Sonko made a point of recalling the established hierarchy of constitutional powers, explicitly denying the President of the Republic the authority of a constituent power. He stated, “The President is not a constituent power. The derived constituent power rests with the National Assembly. The original constituent power belongs to the people when they are summoned for a referendum.”
