A political earthquake of unprecedented magnitude has rocked Senegal and the wider West African sub-region. On Friday, May 22, 2026, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye officially terminated the mandate of his Prime Minister and political mentor, Ousmane Sonko. This drastic decision leads to the immediate dissolution of the government and marks an abrupt end to the executive partnership that had steered the nation since the change of power in April 2024.
Decree n°2026-1128: The official act of separation
The shockwave reverberated across the nation Friday evening with the publication of a significant official act. The head of state signed presidential decree number 2026-1128 on May 22, 2026, instantly ending Ousmane Sonko’s tenure at the helm of the government. To formalize this separation, Bassirou Diomaye Faye rigorously invoked the prerogatives enshrined in Senegal’s fundamental law, specifically referencing articles 42, 43, 53, and 56 of the Constitution.
This legal framework designates the President of the Republic as the guardian of the Constitution, ensuring the regular functioning of institutions, and grants him the discretionary power to appoint and dismiss the Prime Minister. Article one of the decree unambiguously states that « the functions of Mr. Ousmane Sonko, Prime Minister of the Republic of Senegal, are hereby terminated ».
Under article 2, the decree’s application is immediate. Through a constitutional cascading effect, the departure of the head of government automatically triggers the resignation of all ministers and secretaries of state. However, the decree specifies that members of the outgoing cabinet are tasked with managing current affairs pending the appointment of a new ministerial team.
« Diomaye, c’est Sonko »: Genesis of an unprecedented partnership
To fully grasp the impact of this seismic event, it is crucial to recall the unique and intertwined nature of the relationship between the two men. Ousmane Sonko, the charismatic leader of the PASTEF party, had built a fierce opposition against the Macky Sall regime. Faced with judicial persecution and his definitive disqualification from the presidential race by the Constitutional Council in early 2024, Sonko made a strategically brilliant choice.
While sharing the same prison cell following waves of political arrests, Ousmane Sonko designated his secretary-general and most loyal lieutenant, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, as the substitute candidate for the systemic change project.
Carried by the historic slogan « Diomaye, c’est Sonko », the substitute candidate became the vessel for the popular fervor aligned with the party leader. Released under an amnesty law just days before the election, the two men conducted a lightning campaign, leading Bassirou Diomaye Faye to a triumphant first-round victory on March 24, 2024.
Upon his swearing-in on April 2, 2024, the newly elected president promptly appointed Ousmane Sonko as Prime Minister via decree n°2024-921. For the first time in African political history, a political mentor became the institutional subordinate of his own protégé, establishing an unprecedented dual-headed governance.
Seeds of discord: From fusion to friction
While the illusion of perfect harmony was long maintained through public declarations, the exercise of state power quickly exposed the limitations of this two-headed operation, revealing subtly diverging visions clashing over the months.
On one side, Ousmane Sonko maintained his identity as a sovereignist theoretician and orator, frequently delivering direct and decisive pronouncements on international affairs, the review of mining and oil contracts, or a break with traditional partners. On the other, President Faye found himself directly confronted with the realities of macroeconomic management, regional diplomacy, and the absolute necessity of reassuring financial markets.
The first visible cracks emerged during the governmental readjustment of September 6, 2025, materialized by the signing of decree n°2025-430, which set the new composition of the government. This reshuffle, far from easing tensions, highlighted internal power struggles for control of key ministries between the Prime Minister’s loyalists and the technocrats promoted by the head of state.
In essence, this political cohabitation between a President of the Republic holding constitutional legitimacy and a head of government embodying historical popular legitimacy reignited the ‘kingmaker’ complex. This created a highly unstable equilibrium where Ousmane Sonko’s constant shadow over presidential decisions ultimately brought the question of real authority at the pinnacle of the Republic to the forefront.
What prospects for Senegal?
This dismissal plunges the country into an entirely unknown political configuration. By reclaiming full control of the state apparatus through this assertive action, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye definitively frees himself from the moral tutelage of his former leader. He now solely assumes the full scope of his presidential function.
The major unknown now lies in Ousmane Sonko’s future stance. Will the PASTEF leader choose silence, a gentle separation, or a return to outright opposition, bolstered by his still very active electoral base? The composition of the next government, expected in the coming hours, will offer valuable clues about the new direction President Faye intends to give his mandate.
