Senegal’s constitutional council declines to rule on Sonko’s parliamentary reinstatement

The Senegalese Constitutional Council has ruled it lacks jurisdiction to examine a legal challenge filed by opposition parties regarding the reinstatement of Ousmane Sonko to the National Assembly and his subsequent election as its president on May 26. This decision brings an end to opposition efforts to contest the legitimacy of Sonko’s return and election, which they argued violated parliamentary procedures.

Ousmane Sonko, former Prime Minister and charismatic leader of the Pastef party, was reinstated to the National Assembly shortly after his dismissal from government. He was later elected president of the Assembly, a move opposition leaders condemned as a “constitutional coup”.

Opposition’s arguments dismissed

The opposition argued that Sonko’s reinstatement violated parliamentary rules, claiming he should have first resigned from his Prime Ministerial position before reclaiming his seat as a deputy. They also contended that his election to the Assembly presidency was irregular, as he had previously forfeited his parliamentary mandate to serve as head of government.

“We will not participate in this farce,” declared opposition lawmaker Abdou Mbow in late April. However, with the Constitutional Council’s decision, Sonko remains firmly in control of the Assembly, where he now wields significant influence as a potential counterbalance to President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, his former ally with whom relations have since soured.

Sonko’s political trajectory

Sonko was barred from running in the March 2024 presidential election before being appointed Prime Minister in April 2024 following the victory of his protégé, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, in the presidential race. As head of the Pastef party’s electoral list, Sonko secured 130 out of 165 parliamentary seats in the November 2024 legislative elections but chose to relinquish his deputy mandate to remain in government.

The opposition’s legal challenge, which sought to nullify both Sonko’s reinstatement and his election as Assembly president, has now been definitively rejected. With no further avenues for appeal, Sonko’s political dominance within the legislature appears unassailable for now.