On Monday 29 June 2026, Senegal’s National Assembly overwhelmingly approved a bill to revise the constitution. The opposition boycotted the session, leaving 129 lawmakers from the ruling Pastef majority to vote in favour.
After the vote, Assembly President Ousmane Sonko addressed the growing rift with President Bassirou Diomaye Faye over specific aspects of the text.
“We still have hope. It is never too late to return to what matters, to return to what defines his political soul. I do not believe he could have changed so much in such a short time,” Sonko said, speaking directly to the head of state.
Sonko focused on the requirement for the president to declare assets. He recalled that the initial draft stipulated declarations both at the start and end of the presidential term, but reservations were later raised.
“He himself said when he was a candidate: the president of the republic must declare his assets upon entering and leaving office. The videos exist. What has changed?” Sonko asked.
He argued that a commitment made to the Senegalese people cannot be altered arbitrarily.
“Why should one person have the latitude to pick and choose which provisions suit him and which do not? That is unacceptable,” he stated.
Sonko’s remarks highlight the increasingly visible divide between the two main figures, who together carried the Pastef political project during the March 2024 presidential election.
