A new season has begun for the Diomaye-Sonko duo, as tensions rise between President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and his former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko. Dismissed from his post on May 22, Sonko secured the presidency of the National Assembly just four days later.
This new season is defined by a confrontation between two blocs over a constitutional reform: the executive versus the legislative branch. The situation has been described as an institutional shock.
On June 29, the National Assembly – dominated by Ousmane Sonko’s Pastef party with 130 out of 165 seats – passed a constitutional revision proposal. However, before the debate began, Justice Minister Me Moussa Sarr declared that the adoption would be subject to a forthcoming referendum.
Transformation of the institutional architecture
The proposal is divisive. The government’s four proposed amendments were turned down by the law committee. The debates leading up to the June 29 vote were tense, with opposition lawmakers walking out of the chamber in protest.
“This reform, carried by the majority emanating from the”
