Senegal assembly rejects president faye’s key legislative proposals

During the inaugural extraordinary session of Senegal’s National Assembly, President Ousmane Sonko announced the postponement of seven critical legislative proposals submitted by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye. The session, convened on August 6, marked the first legislative gathering following the assembly’s bureau meeting.

Seven High-Priority Bills Removed from Agenda

The postponed proposals included six treaties and agreements requiring parliamentary ratification:

Treaty of Marrakech, aimed at enhancing accessibility to published works for visually impaired individuals and those with reading difficulties;
Protocols amending Articles 50(a) and 56 of the International Civil Aviation Convention;
Military and technical cooperation agreement between Senegal and the Republic of Congo;
Extradition convention between Senegal and the United Arab Emirates;
Transfer of convicted persons agreement between Senegal and the United Arab Emirates;
Judicial mutual assistance treaty in criminal matters between Senegal and the United Arab Emirates;
Judicial mutual assistance treaty in criminal matters between Senegal and Italy.

Speaking to lawmakers, Ousmane Sonko confirmed that these bills would not be tabled in the current session but would be deferred to future extraordinary sessions or the upcoming ordinary session. “The remaining agenda items will be addressed in subsequent extraordinary sessions or during the ordinary session,” he stated.

Legislative Priorities for the Extraordinary Session

The assembly’s bureau had prioritized three bills and eight proposals for immediate consideration:

Labor Code bill;
Social Security Code bill;
Bill on protecting critical information infrastructures and digital security;
Proposal to amend Article 37 of the Constitution, focusing on asset declarations by the president;
Proposal on the legal framework for special credits;
Six proposals for establishing parliamentary inquiry commissions, including investigations into land management, state property sales, financial mechanisms, and fisheries licensing.

Urgency Proceedings for Constitutional and Financial Reforms

Two key proposals will undergo accelerated review over the next fifteen days:

The amendment to Article 37 of the Constitution, which seeks stricter regulations on presidential asset declarations;
The proposal on the legal framework for special credits.

Ousmane Sonko emphasized that these proposals would be fast-tracked due to their urgency, as requested by their authors. Additionally, the assembly will deliberate on six parliamentary inquiry commissions addressing alleged mismanagement in public spending, financial mechanisms, and fisheries licensing.