Senegal – PASTEF Majority Sets the Stage for Sonko’s Parliamentary Return as Assembly Speaker Resigns

Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – The resignation of Senegal National Assembly Speaker El Malick Ndiaye, an executive of PASTEF, has paved the way for the possible elevation of Ousmane Sonko to the head of the legislature amid intensifying political tensions following his dismissal as prime minister. Forty-eight hours after President Bassirou Diomaye Faye dismissed Sonko and dissolved the government, the president of the National Assembly convened an emergency meeting of the institution’s bureau on Sunday at 3 p.m. The closed-door meeting came as signs emerged of a looming political and parliamentary showdown within the ruling coalition. Political circles and observers have been speculating over the purpose of the crisis meeting, with the dominant theory suggesting that the parliamentary majority was preparing the ground for Sonko’s return to the National Assembly and a potential bid for the speakership. According to deputy Cheikh Bara Ndiaye of PASTEF, the bureau of the legislative institution met Sunday afternoon and “noted and validated the request for the reinstatement of Mr. Ousmane Sonko, who is resuming his mandate as a deputy.” Cheikh Bara Ndiaye further stated that although El Malick Ndiaye submitted his resignation as Speaker of the National Assembly, he would retain his seat as a lawmaker. The resignation, he added, was formally acknowledged by the bureau. As part of the next procedural steps, the Conference of Presidents also met and fixed Tuesday, May 26, for the election of a new Speaker of Senegal’s National Assembly. These developments come a day after President Bassirou Diomaye Faye dismissed Ousmane Sonko from the post of prime minister. The question of who will take over the now vacant presidency of the National Assembly is therefore expected to be settled on Tuesday in a chamber where the ruling PASTEF party commands a large majority. Attention is now firmly focused on the National Assembly chamber, where a significant bloc of lawmakers is said to remain loyal to Sonko despite his removal from government. The unfolding developments are expected to shape the next phase of the power struggle at the top of Senegal’s political leadership.