The High Authority for Party Regulation (HARP) of PASTEF-Les Patriotes officially initiated the process for electing the party president on May 14, 2026. The institution’s ruling, identified as decision n°001/2026/HARP, declared the submission period for candidacies open from May 15 until May 20, 2026, at noon.
A procedure addressing Diomaye’s critiques?
This pivotal decision makes no special provision for the outgoing president, Ousmane Sonko. Instead, it formally opens the competition to all factions within the party, thereby allowing the current Prime Minister the opportunity to seek a renewed mandate, but without guaranteeing him automatic ascension to the organization’s helm.
The formalization of this competitive process directly echoes the public statements of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who had previously articulated concerns that the party was excessively “personified.” By establishing an open and regulated procedure, HARP directly confronts this criticism, simultaneously raising profound questions about PASTEF’s leadership during a critical juncture in its trajectory.
When questioned recently about the party’s potential candidate for the 2029 presidential elections, President Diomaye Faye indicated that any nomination would be contingent upon the conclusions drawn from the upcoming congress, signaling that the candidate issue remained unresolved internally. The holding of this internal party election represents an essential preliminary step before that crucial debate can fully unfold.
Five days to submit a candidacy
HARP has set a tight schedule: prospective candidates have a mere five working days to compile and submit their application files, utilizing a standardized declaration form appended to the decision. HARP’s deliberation was formally adopted during a special session convened on May 14, 2026.
The outcome of this internal ballot will determine who officially embodies PASTEF leading up to the next congress, where the critical question of the party’s 2029 presidential candidacy is expected to be definitively settled.
