Senegalese lawmakers, predominantly from the party of former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, have advanced constitutional reforms intended to significantly curtail presidential powers. The proposed amendments, championed by Sonko's Pastef party, which holds a commanding majority in the National Assembly with 130 out of 165 seats, seek to enhance parliamentary oversight and limit the executive branch's authority.
Key provisions include expanding lawmakers' investigative powers and mandating the disclosure of natural resource agreements to parliament. Other proposed changes involve establishing a Constitutional Court with nine members, replacing the current seven-member Constitutional Council. A significant proposal would prohibit a sitting president from simultaneously leading a political party, a move widely interpreted as targeting President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who remains a member of Pastef.
Political Tensions and Protests
The legislative push has ignited political tensions and drawn criticism. Relations between President Faye and his former prime minister, Sonko, deteriorated over several months, culminating in Sonko's dismissal as prime minister in May. Despite his removal from the executive, Sonko was elected parliamentary speaker, leveraging his party's majority.
Protests erupted outside parliament on Monday, with police using tear gas to disperse demonstrators as lawmakers debated the constitutional amendments. Inside the assembly, opposition members staged a walkout in protest against the proposed changes. While Pastef asserts the reforms are designed to strengthen the separation of powers, the opposition views the initiative as political retribution by Sonko, who continues to wield considerable influence over the parliamentary majority.
Referendum Dispute
During the parliamentary debate, Justice Minister Moussa Sarr announced the president's intention to put the matter to a public referendum. However, Sonko questioned the president's authority to initiate a referendum for reforms that he argued had already been validly adopted by a majority of lawmakers. Civil society organizations and opposition groups have also voiced their opposition, calling for the immediate withdrawal of the bill.
Further proposed changes include barring a president from signing certain acts into law between the presidential election and the inauguration of the president-elect, and expanding the powers of parliamentary committees. The Pastef party stated that the overall aim of these changes is to reinforce the balance of power between Senegal's executive, legislative, and judicial branches.