The National Assembly of Senegal has ratified a sweeping constitutional amendment in a landmark plenary session held on June 29, 2026. Despite a coordinated boycott by opposition legislators, the bill secured overwhelming support from the 129 ruling Pastef party deputies present in the chamber.
Following the vote, the Assembly President, Ousmane Sonko, addressed the nation’s leader, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, in a pointed public statement. Sonko’s remarks underscored deepening policy disagreements between the two key figures who once spearheaded the Pastef movement to victory in the March 2024 presidential election.
Sonko voiced concerns over a last-minute adjustment to the presidential asset declaration clause. He recalled Faye’s earlier campaign promise—repeated on video—that presidents must disclose their assets both at the start and conclusion of their term. The amendment now only requires a single declaration at the beginning.
« There can be no justification for one person to cherry-pick which provisions matter and which do not, » Sonko declared. « Principles made before the Senegalese people cannot be casually rewritten. » He urged President Faye to reconsider the changes, warning that such inconsistencies risked eroding public trust in the government’s commitment to transparency.
The growing rift between the Assembly President and the Head of State raises questions about the future cohesion of the ruling coalition. Once unified behind a shared political vision, the two leaders now appear divided on fundamental governance principles, leaving observers to question how this discord will shape Senegal’s political trajectory.
