Senegal lawmakers elect ousted PM Sonko as new parliament speaker

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Senegal’s parliament ⁠⁠has elected ousted prime ⁠⁠minister Ousmane Sonko as speaker, a move that ⁠⁠could give him a powerful platform to challenge President Bassirou ⁠⁠Diomaye Faye.

The president dismissed Sonko on Friday and dissolved the cabinet, ending months of speculation about a growing ‌‌rift between the two over how to handle the country’s debt crisis.

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But lawmakers ⁠⁠rebelled by reinstating Sonko as a member on Tuesday and voting to elect him as ⁠⁠speaker with 132 votes in favour.

Sonko remains the undisputed leader of Pastef, the party which controls 130 of the 165 seats in Senegal’s only legislative body.

He received a long ovation after being elected, with no member voting against him and one abstaining, according to the session’s presiding member, Ismael Diallo. Sonko was the sole candidate for the position.

He replaces El Malick Ndiaye, a loyal supporter who resigned on Sunday, paving the way for the ex-prime minister’s rise.

‘Institutional coup’

Aissata Tall Sall, who heads the main opposition, denounced an “institutional coup” which she said on Monday was prepared under “pressure that the majority wants to impose”.

Sall said she believed Sonko, to become a lawmaker again, should first have resigned as prime minister to sit even temporarily in parliament before returning to government.

Faye appointed Sonko prime minister in April 2024 after winning the presidential election the previous month.

Faye largely owes his position to Sonko, his one-time mentor who would almost certainly have taken the top job had he not been barred from the presidential election due to a defamation conviction.

Faye faces the difficult task of governing and implementing reforms in a country troubled by serious economic difficulties.

On Monday, he named senior economist Ahmadou Al Aminou Mohamed Lo as prime minister, saying the new appointee had the expertise to steer Senegal out of crippling debt.