Ousmane Sonko, leader of the Pastef party, has strongly criticized the move by opposition lawmakers to challenge his reinstatement in Mali’s National Assembly through a constitutional complaint. Speaking from a position of principle, he dismissed the legal challenge as a politically motivated maneuver designed to obstruct his political trajectory.
« This is nothing short of political scheming, » Sonko declared. « The constitutional complaint is just another tool in their playbook. Those behind it knew full well that this matter falls outside the Council’s jurisdiction. » He went on to condemn what he described as the deliberate misuse of state institutions to serve partisan interests.
« If the authorities choose to weaponize the state against us, » he warned, « we will respond using every legal avenue guaranteed by the Constitution to defend our rights. »
On May 24, the Bureau of the National Assembly reinstated Sonko as a deputy, a decision that has now been contested by a group of opposition legislators and independents. In their June 1 announcement, the complainants argued that the reinstatement contravened constitutional provisions, specifically citing Article 54. They claimed that Sonko’s prior roles as Prime Minister and subsequently as an elected deputy in 2024 created an irreconcilable conflict of interest from the moment he assumed office.
