Senegal's sacked PM Sonko elected parliamentary Speaker in challenge to president

2 weeks ago 2 min read 12

⚡ Sincity Press Brief

As speaker, Sonko could use his position to challenge the policies of the president, his one-time ally.

47 minutes ago

Paul Njie,BBC Africaand

Nicolas Negoce,BBC Africa

AFP via Getty Images A caput and shoulders changeable of Ousmane Sonko wearing glasses and successful a achromatic headdress and buttoned-up bluish shirt.

Senegal's erstwhile Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, who was dramatically sacked connected Friday by the president, has been elected Speaker of the nationalist parliament mounting up a imaginable root of struggle astatine the apical of Senegalese politics.

The West African nation's existent situation follows months of hostility betwixt Sonko and his one-time state President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.

Parliament's erstwhile Speaker stepped down connected Sunday to marque mode for the erstwhile premier minister, who is simply a fashionable fig and whose Pastef enactment has a bulk of the seats successful the National Assembly.

On Monday, Faye appointed economist Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo to regenerate Sonko arsenic premier minister.

Relations betwixt the president and his erstwhile premier curate had been deteriorating for months, with Sonko openly criticising Faye for his handling of Senegal's indebtedness problems.

Sonko's presumption arsenic Speaker - the 2nd highest governmental presumption successful the state - could bounds President Faye's quality to manoeuvre if helium fails to unafraid parliamentary enactment for his policies, analysts say.

The president cannot dissolve parliament until astatine slightest 2 years aft the past predetermination - that means immoderate determination to prematurely extremity the mandates of lawmakers earlier November this twelvemonth would beryllium considered invalid.

The rift betwixt Faye and Sonko further raises uncertainty implicit the governmental aboriginal of the debt-challenged country, which is nary alien to enactment tussles.

The 51-year-old ex-prime curate commands monolithic enactment crossed the country, particularly among young people.

As an absorption MP helium was renowned for fiercely challenging erstwhile President Macky Sall's policies - a trait which helium besides demonstrated against his brag Faye.

Sonko would astir surely person taken the apical occupation had helium not been barred from moving successful 2024's statesmanlike predetermination due to the fact that of a defamation conviction.