National Assembly president Ousmane Sonko has called on president Bassirou Diomaye Faye to sign into law the constitutional revision bill passed by a qualified majority of deputies this Monday. Sonko argued that the head of state cannot pick and choose which constitutional provisions suit him, nor can he submit the text to a referendum, since in his interpretation the three-fifths vote in the National Assembly constitutes both adoption and approval.
Speaking after the reform was voted through, Sonko reminded that the ‘constituent power’ lies with the National Assembly when it is convened. He considered the president’s referral to the constitutional council unjustified and asserted that the high court had already ruled on the procedure for constitutional revisions adopted by parliament.
The National Assembly president also criticised Faye’s stance on several reform provisions, particularly the requirement that the president declare his assets at the start and end of his term, as well as the ban on leading a political party while in office. Sonko recalled that the current head of state had championed these commitments when he was in the opposition.
Calling the reform ‘one of the most consolidating’ for Senegalese democracy, Sonko argued it would strengthen transparency in public management while reducing the cost of democratic functioning. He finally urged the president to reconsider his position and enact the law, deeming a referendum on these provisions unnecessary.
