Ousmane Sonko, the president of Senegal’s National Assembly and former prime minister, secured a decisive re-election as head of his party, Pastef, on Saturday. The victory quickly turned into a stark warning to his political opponents amid the country’s ongoing political turmoil.
Delegates from national branches and the diaspora gathered in Diamniadio, near Dakar, for the party’s first congress. Sonko, who has led Pastef since its founding in 2014, was handed a fresh six-year mandate.
“I fully grasp the weight of this responsibility because Pastef is no ordinary party in Senegal’s political landscape,” he told the assembly after his election.
“Revolutions can be hijacked, absorbed, or emptied of meaning if they lack both a clear doctrine and an organisation capable of embedding change over the long term. That is why this congress is historic — two years after we assumed the highest responsibilities,” he added.
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye won the presidency in 2024 with Pastef’s backing, after Sonko was barred from the presidential race. Following months of friction, Faye dismissed Sonko as prime minister on 22 May. Days later, Sonko was elected head of the National Assembly.
Speaking before Pastef delegates, Sonko warned against attempts to “sabotage” the party’s political project. “No plot to sabotage this revolution will succeed, because the people, standing alongside Pastef, will provide the guarantees needed for us to finally liberate our country,” he cautioned.
The Pastef leadership has boycotted the government appointed on Monday by President Faye, even though some party members feature on the new ministerial list. With 130 of the 165 seats in the National Assembly, Pastef can file a no-confidence motion to topple the government at any time. Faye, for his part, could reshuffle the cabinet after a censure and is authorised to dissolve the assembly from November 2026.
