Senegal lawmakers elect ousted PM Sonko as new parliament speaker
Summary
Senegal’s parliament elected former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko as the new speaker, despite him being dismissed by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye. This move gives Sonko a strong role in parliament and comes amid tensions over how to handle the country’s debt problems.Key Facts
- Ousmane Sonko was dismissed as prime minister by President Faye and the cabinet was dissolved.
- Parliament reinstated Sonko as a member and then elected him speaker with 132 votes in favor, no votes against, and one abstention.
- Sonko’s party, Pastef, holds 130 of 165 seats in Senegal’s parliament.
- Sonko replaced El Malick Ndiaye as speaker, who resigned recently.
- The main opposition leader, Aissata Tall Sall, called this change an “institutional coup.”
- Sonko was appointed prime minister in April 2024 after Faye won the presidential election.
- Sonko was barred from running for president due to a defamation conviction.
- President Faye appointed a new prime minister, economist Ahmadou Al Aminou Mohamed Lo, to address Senegal’s debt crisis.
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