President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has made a pivotal decision to submit the proposed constitutional revision to a national referendum. This strategic move effectively counters the parliamentary success achieved by the opposition, reigniting crucial constitutional debates and fundamentally altering the balance of power within the National Assembly.
Despite the National Assembly’s majority deputies granting Pastef a significant legislative victory by passing the constitutional revision bill with 129 votes, the ultimate authority has now been asserted by the Presidency, dramatically shifting the political landscape. As disclosed by Minister of Justice Me Moussa Sarr, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has opted against promulgating the text in its current form as approved by the National Assembly. Instead, the President has invoked Article 103 of the Constitution, choosing to refer the reform directly to a referendum. This decision represents a decisive halt to Pastef’s carefully constructed parliamentary strategy. A legislative triumph for the deputies has been effectively neutralized by the presidential palace. Initially, a swift adoption seemed certain. Even with the government’s proposed amendments being rejected, the majority of deputies endorsed the version that emerged from the committee’s deliberations, thereby affirming the political objectives of the bill’s originators. However, behind the scenes, Bassirou Diomaye Faye…
