The National Assembly in Senegal has approved a constitutional revision bill, with 129 lawmakers from the ruling Pastef party voting in favor. Government amendments were overwhelmingly rejected, while opposition deputies staged a walkout in protest over procedural irregularities.
The minister of Justice, Moussa Sarr, represented the executive branch during the session, defending four proposed changes. However, these were all struck down by the majority coalition.
Opposition protests procedural violations
Lawmakers from the opposition coalition boycotted the vote after Abdou Mbow, one of their colleagues, was forcibly removed from the chamber for refusing to yield the floor. The incident triggered sharp condemnation from opposition leaders, who accused Ousmane Sonko, president of the National Assembly, of undermining parliamentary rules.
« The goal was achieved, » declared Aïssata Tall Sall, opposition parliamentary group leader. « We wanted to expose to the world the dictatorial tendencies at play in this Assembly. What happened today—deploying gendarmes to eject a deputy simply exercising his right to speak—proves our point. Mission accomplished. »
The opposition has branded the constitutional reform as « an act of treachery », arguing that it consolidates executive power at the expense of legislative independence.
Government amendments rejected
The minister of Justice, Moussa Sarr, had proposed four amendments aimed at rebalancing institutional powers. These included restricting the number of motions of no confidence to one per legislative term and limiting the president’s dissolution authority to a single instance during their mandate. However, all four were swiftly rejected by the ruling party.
« This reform disrupts the delicate balance of our constitutional framework, » argued Sarr. « Expanding the grounds for no-confidence motions while simultaneously curtailing the president’s dissolution power undermines the very foundations of our democratic system. »
Internal tensions within ruling coalition
Disagreements have surfaced between Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the president, and Ousmane Sonko, Assembly president, over key provisions. Notably, the requirement for the president to declare assets at the start and end of their term—an election pledge—has been removed from the final draft. Sonko criticized the move as a betrayal of shared commitments.
« The Constitution does not belong to one man, » Sonko asserted. « President Faye has cherry-picked elements of this reform, discarding what doesn’t suit his agenda. He now claims he won’t declare assets at the end of his term and insists on remaining party leader—despite these being core commitments made in good faith. After a decade-long struggle, how can one individual unilaterally alter the rules? »
Sonko has urged the president to ratify the law immediately, while Faye has indicated his preference for a national referendum on the matter. The proposed reforms have already sparked protests by opposition groups and civil society outside the Assembly building.