Senegal: Ousted PM Sonko Returns to Centre Stage As Senegal’s Parliamentary Speaker

Senegal’s National Assembly has elected ousted prime minister Ousmane Sonko as its speaker, handing the firebrand politician a powerful new platform just days after President Bassirou Diomaye Faye dismissed him from government.

The vote on Tuesday was boycotted by opposition lawmakers, who have said Sonko’s return to parliament is illegal and accused the ruling majority of forcing through what they called an “institutional coup”.

Sonko, the undisputed leader of the ruling Pastef party, was the sole candidate for the role. He received 132 votes, with no lawmakers voting against him and one abstaining, according to Ismael Diallo, who presided over the session. His victory was greeted with a long ovation in the chamber.

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Pastef dominates Senegal’s only legislative body, holding 130 of the National Assembly‘s 165 seats. That majority made Sonko’s election all but certain, despite the opposition boycott and the growing unease surrounding the political split at the top of the state.

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A new power base

Sonko replaces El Malick Ndiaye, a loyal supporter who resigned on Sunday in a move widely seen as clearing the path for the former prime minister.

The parliamentary session opened shortly after 9am local time, with Sonko in attendance. His elevation to the top of parliament came just four days after Faye sacked him and dissolved the government, bringing months of tension between the two former allies dramatically into the open.

The move gives Sonko a fresh institutional role from which he can shape national politics – and potentially challenge the authority of the president, who holds executive power. As speaker, Sonko now stands at the head of an assembly firmly controlled by his own party.

Aissata Tall Sall, who leads the main opposition, said the process amounted to an “institutional coup” prepared under “pressure that the majority wants to impose”.

She argued that Sonko should first have resigned as prime minister and formally returned to his seat in parliament before any move to make him speaker.

Sonko was elected to parliament in November 2024 legislative elections, but according to Pastef he later requested the suspension of his mandate after being appointed prime minister.

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Faye and Sonko partnership

Faye appointed Sonko prime minister in April 2024 after winning the presidency, a victory he owed in large part to his one-time mentor’s popularity. Sonko had been barred from running because of a defamation conviction, but remained the driving force behind Pastef’s rise.