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Senegal’s lawmakers defy president and elect ousted Sonko as speaker
Sonko won 132 votes and now gives PASTEF a stronger platform in parliament as legal experts and opposition figures question the move.
- On Tuesday, Senegal's National Assembly elected ousted Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko as speaker in Dakar, receiving 132 votes with no opposition and one abstention just four days after President Bassirou Diomaye Faye dismissed him and dissolved the cabinet.
- The alliance between Faye and Sonko fractured over competing economic visions as Senegal faced a debt burden of 132 percent of GDP, with a $1.8 billion IMF programme suspended after authorities uncovered previously misreported debt figures.
- Pastef's commanding majority of 130 of the National Assembly's 165 seats ensured Sonko's victory despite opposition lawmakers boycotting the session, which opened at 9am with the former prime minister in attendance.
- Opposition leader Tall Sall denounced the appointment as an 'institutional coup' prepared under 'pressure that the majority wants to impose,' while lawmaker Abdou Mbow declared it 'a black day at the National Assembly.'
- Sonko's election positions him as a political counterweight ahead of the 2029 elections, with the once-barred presidential candidate remaining hugely popular and now controlling an assembly dominated by his party, threatening future confrontation with Faye.
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53 Articles
53 Articles
Senegal’s former PM Sonko elected parliament speaker
Senegal’s parliament elected Ousmane Sonko as its speaker days after he was fired as prime minister by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye. Sonko’s new role gives him a platform to challenge the president’s legislative agenda, deepening uncertainty over the government’s future and how it will repay public debt estimated to have reached 132% of GDP.The relationship between the former allies deteriorated in recent months as they disagreed over the h…
·New York, United States
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources53
Leaning Left12Leaning Right3Center7Last UpdatedBias Distribution54% Left
Bias Distribution
- 54% of the sources lean Left
54% Left
L 54%
C 32%
14%
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