Senegal’s political landscape witnessed a swift acceleration with President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s decision to dismiss Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko on May 22. This move solidified a growing rift, which had become increasingly apparent through escalating political tensions and open disagreements between the nation’s two highest executive figures. This development signals a significant moment in the Senegal political power struggle, reshaping African politics in the country of Teranga.
Immediately following this, Malick Ndiaye, the President of the National Assembly, declared his resignation from the parliamentary leadership, though he intends to retain his seat as a deputy. This orchestrated sequence of events appears designed to facilitate the former Prime Minister’s return to the legislative body, allowing Sonko to reclaim his parliamentary mandate.
The rift appears final
The Parliament is scheduled to convene in an extraordinary session on May 26 to address this matter and elect its new president. All indications suggest that Ousmane Sonko, the former mayor of Ziguinchor, recently removed from the premiership, is poised to assume leadership of the legislative body. This strategic move would enable him to continue his direct confrontation with President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, intensifying the Senegal political power struggle within the nation’s governance Africa framework.
The pressing question remains: how far will this confrontation between the two former allies escalate? This query gains particular relevance considering that, beyond the former National Assembly President’s resignation, which appears to be a show of loyalty to Sonko, the former Prime Minister is expected to face little difficulty in securing the parliamentary speaker position. The ruling Pastef party (Patriotes africains du Sénégal pour le travail, l’éthique et la fraternité), where Sonko still holds significant influence as its leading figure, commands a substantial majority with 130 out of 165 deputies in Parliament.
This underscores the critical importance of the upcoming session, which offers the former Prime Minister a clear path to remain deeply embedded in the political arena and the highest echelons of state decision-making by assuming leadership of the Parliament. This is a highly strategic position, especially as the definitive split seems to have occurred between Sonko, a native of Thiès, and President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who is driven by a desire to emerge from his former mentor’s shadow and decisively assert his own authority.
Ousmane Sonko’s potential for obstruction
In this clash of ambitions between former political comrades who have ascended to the highest levels of state power, Senegal faces the real risk of an institutional crisis. This is particularly true if, as the trajectory suggests, Ousmane Sonko is indeed elected President of the National Assembly following the May 26 session. Such an outcome would elevate him to the nation’s second most powerful figure and the constitutional successor to the president, profoundly impacting African politics and governance Africa.
From this influential position, Sonko could, at any moment, leverage his control over the legislative branch to impede government actions. The extent of this rivalry between the two leaders of the ruling party remains uncertain. If not carefully managed, this situation risks severely undermining the party’s internal cohesion. Indeed, with two prominent figures now in open conflict, questions arise as to whether Pastef is inadvertently sabotaging its own future.
It is evident that since their rise to power, Ousmane Sonko has harbored a clear ambition to assume the presidency himself, having propelled Bassirou Diomaye Faye into the top office under circumstances that prevented his own candidacy in the 2024 presidential election due to an ineligibility conviction in May 2023. This underlying desire to be the ultimate leader fuels the current Senegal political power struggle.
Furthermore, by engaging in this open conflict with the head of state, Sonko appears to be doing more than just refusing to remain in Faye’s shadow. He likely believes he possesses sufficient leverage to advance his presidential aspirations, having overcome the judicial hurdles of 2024.
A delicate balance of power
This dynamic is notably influenced by the new Electoral Code, which was swiftly approved on May 12. While officially intended to clarify eligibility criteria and prevent political disqualification of candidates, critics viewed this revision as a strategic move to potentially clear the path for both Ousmane Sonko and Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s candidacies, further complicating African politics in Senegal.
Although Sonko, a staunch opponent of former President Macky Sall, maintains significant popularity within the party he founded, his eligibility for the next presidential election, scheduled for March 2029, is likely to remain uncertain until the Constitutional Council issues a definitive ruling on the matter.
Should this rivalry between the two prominent figures intensify at the highest levels of government, it would create a precarious “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” dynamic, boding ill for Senegal’s stability. Furthermore, Pastef itself could suffer, potentially being outmaneuvered by a third-party contender in future elections, especially if it faces a protest vote, a phenomenon Senegalese voters are known for. This internal strife could significantly impact society Africa and the future of independent African journalism covering these events.
As this situation unfolds, many hope that statesmanship will ultimately prevail for the greater good of the nation. The aspiration is that Senegal will not become a casualty of the escalating rivalries between these two political leaders, both of whom had initially pledged a transformative approach to governance Africa.
