A coalition of opposition deputies in the Senegal National Assembly has formally petitioned the Constitutional Council to invalidate the decision reinstating Ousmane Sonko as a legislator. The move follows a controversial May 24, 2026 resolution by the Assembly’s Bureau, which restored Sonko’s parliamentary mandate despite prior constitutional objections.
In a sharply worded statement, the signatory lawmakers condemned the reinstatement as a deliberate breach of constitutional norms, emphasizing that it undermines the integrity of parliamentary procedures. They argue that Sonko’s retention of government office after being elected deputy in 2024 created an ex officio incompatibility under Article 54 of the Constitution. By disregarding this legal safeguard, they contend, the Assembly’s Bureau allowed an unconstitutional act to stand—one that the Constitutional Council must now rectify to preserve the separation of powers.
The opposition also accused Assembly leadership of obstructing justice after refusing to provide essential documents, including the reinstatement decree and the May 26, 2026 plenary session minutes. Despite formal requests via bailiff summonses, the Secretary-General and First Vice-President declined to release these public records. Such obstruction, they assert, violates democratic transparency and the deputies’ constitutional right to access legislative materials.
The petitioners stressed that their appeal is not merely procedural but a defense of Senegal’s constitutional order. “No parliamentary majority, regardless of its size, stands above the Republic’s fundamental law,” they declared, vowing to pursue legal remedies to uphold democratic principles. The signatories include prominent opposition figures such as Daouda Dia, Aïssata Ousmane Diallo, Amadou Diallo, and Thierno Alassane Sall, among others.
