Senegal’s President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye Dissolves Parliament

Senegal’s President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, has dissolved the country’s opposition-led National Assembly in an effort to resolve tensions between the legislature and the executive branch.

In a nationwide speech, Faye announced that quick elections will take place on November 17 this year.

“By virtue of the powers conferred on me by Article 87 of the Constitution, and after consulting the Constitutional Council on the right date, the Prime Minister and the President of the National Assembly, on the expediency, I dissolve the National Assembly,” he said.

The move occurred six months after Faye was elected on an opposition ticket.

He claimed that the opposition-controlled legislature had made it difficult for him to carry out the “systemic transformation” he promised during campaigns.

He urged voters to give his Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics, and Fraternity (PASTEF) party a mandate.

The outgoing parliament, elected in 2022, was controlled by members of former President Macky Sall’s Benno Bokk Yakaar (United in Hope) alliance.

Tensions between the executive and legislative branches were recently highlighted after opposition members cancelled a budget debate and threatened to file a motion to condemn the government.

The Benno Bokk Yakaar parliamentary group criticised the dissolution, claiming it was intended to avoid the submission of a vote to censure the administration by the parliamentary majority.

In a statement, the organisation accused President Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko of “manipulating institutions to serve their own political interests.”

“This dissolution is a blatant attempt to silence the parliamentary opposition and avoid any democratic debate on the management of the country,” said Abdou Mbow, president of the majority parliamentary group.

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli