A bitter divide at the highest level of Sénégal’s government has erupted over the revision of the constitution. After the National Assembly adopted a bill to amend the charter, Assembly President Ousmane Sonko publicly rebuked President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, accusing him of attempting to alter provisions he himself championed while in the opposition.
Speaking before deputies, Ousmane Sonko stressed that the constitutional reform stems from more than a decade of political reflection, shaped by outcomes of the national dialogue and input from multiple expert commissions. He argued that no single leader’s preferences should override these collective commitments.
“The constitution does not belong to Bassirou Diomaye Faye,” he declared, denouncing the head of state’s intent to withdraw from certain measures, notably the mandatory asset declaration at the end of a presidential term and the prohibition on the president leading a political party.
“You cannot take a text, examine it article by article, and say: no, I no longer wish to declare my assets upon leaving office; no, I want to be the head of a party,” the National Assembly president insisted.
According to Ousmane Sonko, this approach marks a departure from the historic promises of the Pastef party dating back to 2014. He accused the president of having begun to “tamper” with the reform project by retaining only the provisions that suit him.
“He started looking at what worked for him and what did not work for him, as president of the Republic,” Sonko charged. Despite the criticism, he urged Bassirou Diomaye Faye to promulgate the law passed by the deputies. In his view, the qualified majority vote is sufficient to validate the constitutional revision without requiring a referendum.
Concluding his intervention with a poignant question, Sonko wondered, “What has changed in our younger brother and president?” before expressing hope that the head of state would return to what he considers the founding principles of his political commitment and honour the promises made to the Senegalese people.
