The Front for the Defense of the Republic (FDR) has issued a formal statement demanding the immediate removal of Ousmane Sonko from his seat in the Assemblée nationale. The coalition, led by Khalifa Sall, has branded Sonko’s parliamentary presence as both illegal and illegitimate.
The FDR’s declaration highlights the coalition’s strong support for the 147 political parties and movements that united on May 24 to denounce what they describe as a parliamentary coup attempt by the PASTEF. The coalition also applauds the opposition’s decision to file a petition with the Conseil constitutionnel, seeking legal intervention to address the situation.
Legal arguments against Sonko’s mandate
The FDR bases its claim on Article LO172 of the Electoral Code, which mandates that a minister elected as a deputy must resign from government within eight days or forfeit their parliamentary seat. The coalition argues that PASTEF attempted to bypass this requirement by altering the Assemblée nationale’s internal regulations. However, the FDR contends that this move is unconstitutional for two key reasons:
- Constitutional non-compliance: Article 54 of the Constitution stipulates that changes to ministerial deputies must be governed by a specific organic law within the Electoral Code, not hidden in internal procedural rules.
- Unrecognized legislative category: The amendment introduced the concept of ‘deputy substitutes’, a category Senegalese law does not acknowledge outside of departmental and proportional majority elections.
According to the FDR, PASTEF has violated not only the Constitution and the Electoral Code but also the Assemblée nationale’s internal regulations—whose sole purpose, as outlined in Article 1, is to regulate the institution’s internal operations.
Call for unified action
The coalition is urging all national stakeholders to rally behind a coordinated action plan to uphold the rule of law. The FDR’s leadership emphasizes the need for collective resistance to ensure that Senegal’s democratic institutions remain intact and that constitutional norms are strictly enforced.