Senegal’s National Assembly President Ousmane Sonko has firmly rejected claims suggesting that lawmakers issued an ultimatum to the country’s President. Speaking during a plenary session focused on labor and social security reforms, Sonko addressed mounting political speculation surrounding the constitutional revision process, calling the allegations baseless and misleading.
Addressing lawmakers during deliberations on critical legislative texts, Sonko clarified the Assembly’s role in the constitutional review process. He emphasized that the Parliament’s actions remain within the bounds of constitutional authority, with no intention of pressuring the executive branch. « This is false; we did not issue an ultimatum to the President, » he stated, dismissing rumors of institutional tension or coercive tactics.
Sonko framed the ongoing constitutional revision as a legitimate exercise of the Assembly’s derived constituent power, guided by the Constitution and reinforced by prior rulings of the Constitutional Council. He highlighted a 2006 decision by the Council, which affirmed Parliament’s capacity to initiate such revisions with a three-fifths majority, underscoring the legal soundness of the current process.
No crisis at the heart of government
The Assembly President pushed back against political narratives portraying a rift between state institutions. « There is no crisis at the top of the state, » he asserted, describing the situation instead as a normal functioning of powers within the framework of institutional dialogue. He stressed that each branch of government operates within its constitutional mandate, under the oversight of the Constitutional Council, without encroaching on others’ prerogatives.
Sonko dismissed assertions that the legislative initiative amounted to an overreach or an attempt to exert undue pressure on the executive. « Those expecting a crisis at the highest levels of government will look in vain, » he remarked, reaffirming the Assembly’s commitment to advancing the constitutional process in strict adherence to established procedures. He concluded by stating that the revision would proceed according to constitutional provisions, regardless of whether the executive formally weighs in.
The focus, he emphasized, lies in upholding institutional mechanisms in a stable and legally defined framework, ensuring transparency and constitutional compliance throughout the procedure.
