Ousmane Sonko has been elected speaker of Senegal’s National Assembly, completing a rapid political comeback just days after President Bassirou Diomaye Faye fired him as prime minister and dissolved the government. Lawmakers in Dakar voted overwhelmingly on Tuesday to hand Sonko the third‑highest office in the state, cementing his return to the center of power and setting up an unprecedented institutional rivalry at the top of the country’s ruling Pastef movement.
A rapid return to the heart of power
Sonko’s election capped a high‑stakes special session of the National Assembly convened on Tuesday to reinstate him as a deputy and choose a new speaker after the surprise resignation of El Malick Ndiaye, a close ally, over the weekend. According to Bloomberg, lawmakers first voted to restore Sonko’s parliamentary mandate and then elected him speaker in a second ballot, with Sonko securing 132 of 133 votes cast at a sitting largely boycotted by opposition parties.
AfricaNews reports that the vote followed intense legal wrangling over whether Sonko could reclaim the seat he vacated when he became prime minister in 2024, with critics arguing his return was unconstitutional and supporters citing provisions that allow former ministers to resume their seats. In the end, the ruling Pastef‑led majority used its control of at least 130 of 165 seats to push through his reinstatement and elevation.
The BBC, which had earlier reported that Ndiaye’s resignation “opened the door” for Sonko to seek the top parliamentary job, framed Tuesday’s outcome as the culmination of that gambit and a clear signal that the ex‑PM remains the dominant political force within Pastef’s base.
From sacked prime minister to speaker
Just days before his election as speaker, Sonko appeared politically sidelined. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, his long‑time ally and protégé, dismissed him as prime minister on Friday, citing months of tension over economic policy, political ambitions, and rising living costs. Faye simultaneously dissolved the government and, on Monday, appointed economist Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo as the new prime minister.
The move stunned supporters of the pair’s populist reform project, which had swept them to power only a year earlier after both men were released from prison and Faye won the presidency as Sonko’s stand‑in candidate. Washington Post and BBC reporting described the sacking as the climax of a long‑simmering power struggle between the presidency and the premiership over control of economic policy and the pace of reforms.
Sonko responded defiantly, telling supporters he would continue the fight. A day later, El Malick Ndiaye resigned as Assembly speaker, saying he had taken a “personal decision guided by [his] conception of institutions, public duty and the higher interest of the nation,” in a move widely seen as clearing the path for Sonko’s return to parliament and to the speakership.
Bloomberg now describes Sonko’s election as speaker as “cementing his return to the center of power” and formalizing a dual leadership arrangement in which Faye controls the executive and Sonko presides over the legislature.
A constitutional battle over Sonko’s seat
Sonko’s reinstatement as a deputy, the prerequisite for becoming speaker, has ignited a constitutional showdown in Dakar. AfricaNews reports that opposition figures and several legal experts insist his return violates Senegal’s rules on the separation of powers, arguing that once he accepted the post of prime minister, his parliamentary mandate should have lapsed permanently.
They cite constitutional provisions that state a member of parliament who joins the government loses their seat and must be replaced by their substitute, contending that Sonko cannot simply reclaim the position after being dismissed from the cabinet.
Sonko’s allies counter that the relevant article only bars simultaneous service in the executive and legislature and does not erase a lawmaker’s mandate once they leave government. They note that his election as a deputy was validated by the Constitutional Council and never legally challenged within the required deadlines and argue that Article 124 explicitly allows former government officials to resume their seats.
An information note circulating on Senegalese social media and cited by local outlets said Parliament was meeting under Article 124 to “reinstate Ousmane Sonko as an MP and elect a new Speaker.” Whether courts will be asked to weigh in on the legal interpretation remains unclear, but analysts say the dispute could reshape the balance of power between branches of government.
What Sonko’s speakership means for President Faye
Sonko’s installation as speaker dramatically complicates President Faye’s room for manoeuvre. As head of the National Assembly, Sonko now controls the legislative agenda, chairs key debates and can influence votes of confidence or censure, giving him a powerful platform to challenge or slow the president’s initiatives.
DW notes that Pastef still dominates parliament, with about 130 of 165 seats, meaning internal party dynamics will be crucial in determining whether Sonko uses his new role to confront Faye or to force compromises. Bloomberg warns of an “unprecedented rivalry within the ruling Pastef bloc,” as the two men who campaigned as a joint ticket now lead different branches of the state with diverging political incentives.
For Faye, the risk is twofold: legislative gridlock that slows his reform agenda, and a potential erosion of authority if Sonko positions himself as the more authentic voice of their shared movement. For Sonko, the speakership offers institutional clout without the direct responsibility for day‑to‑day governance, a vantage point from which to criticize economic policy, shape laws and position himself for future presidential bids.
Public reaction and fears for stability
On the streets of Dakar, reactions to the week‑long drama have been mixed. Video reports from local and international broadcasters show some residents cheering Sonko’s elevation as a correction to what they saw as an unjust dismissal, while others worry that an open power struggle at the top of the state could bring renewed instability.
In interviews collected by AfricaNews and DW, supporters praised Sonko as “the people’s leader” and said the speakership would allow him to “protect the revolution” that brought Faye to the presidency. Critics warned that divided authority could paralyze decision‑making at a time when Senegal faces rising living costs, debt pressures and delicate negotiations with international lenders.
International observers are watching closely. Senegal has long been regarded as a relatively stable democracy in a region shaken by coups and constitutional crises. The spectacle of its president and his former prime minister now occupying rival power centers, amid legal disputes over parliamentary rules, has raised concerns about possible street protests and institutional erosion if the conflict deepens.
A movement divided but still dominant
Despite the turmoil, Pastef remains the dominant force in Senegalese politics, a key reason why the struggle between Faye and Sonko is so consequential. The party controls the presidency, the prime minister’s office and, after Tuesday’s vote, the speakership, as well as a commanding majority in parliament.
Sonko’s trajectory encapsulates that dominance and its tensions. Once the jailed face of opposition to former President Macky Sall, he saw his protégé Faye vaulted into the presidency in 2024 when he himself was barred from running because of a defamation conviction. In government, the pair pledged to renegotiate natural‑resource contracts, review ties to France and the CFA franc currency, and launch an anti‑corruption drive.
The breakdown of their partnership, and Sonko’s re‑emergence as speaker, now raises the question of whether Pastef can remain unified enough to pursue that agenda. If the split turns into open factional warfare, analysts warn, it could weaken the party’s grip on both parliament and the streets, creating openings for opposition forces or extra‑institutional actors in a volatile regional context.
What comes next
In the short term, attention will turn to how Sonko uses his new perch and how President Faye responds. Key tests include the formation of Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo’s cabinet, the handling of upcoming budget and reform bills, and any legal challenges to Sonko’s reinstatement as a deputy.
Bloomberg notes that Sonko’s election as speaker “sets up an unprecedented rivalry within the ruling Pastef bloc after Faye consolidated his control over the executive,” suggesting that investors and foreign partners will be watching for signs of legislative obstruction or policy shifts. African and international media alike say the episode will either be remembered as a moment of institutional resilience, if the two leaders manage a working cohabitation, or as the opening of a deeper crisis if their duel paralyses government and fuels unrest.
For now, one thing is clear: less than a week after losing his job as prime minister, Ousmane Sonko is once again at the heart of Senegal’s political system, this time wielding the Assembly gavel, with his former ally in the presidential palace just across town.