Senegal parliament descends into chaos over constitutional reform
Key Takeaways
- Senegal's parliament approved reforms aimed at reducing presidential powers and expanding parliamentary oversight.
- Opposition MP Abdou Mbow was forcibly removed, prompting accusations of dictatorship and abuse of power.
- President Bassirou Diomaye Faye plans to submit the constitutional reforms to a national referendum.
Lawmakers clashed as the National Assembly approved reforms to curb presidential powers, with the opposition accusing the ruling majority of abusing its authority
Senegal's National Assembly approved a constitutional reform package on Monday aimed at reducing presidential powers and strengthening parliament, but the vote was overshadowed by disorder inside the chamber.
The session descended into chaos after opposition MP Abdou Mbow was physically removed from the podium and escorted out by gendarmes after refusing to leave.
Opposition lawmakers said the incident reflected what they described as growing authoritarianism within the Assembly.
"The objective has been achieved. The point was to show the world that what is happening at the National Assembly is a dictatorship and an abuse of power. Gendarmes were deployed to evacuate an MP who was merely exercising a single right: the right to speak," opposition parliamentary leader Aissata Tall Sall said.
After being removed, Mbow also criticised the ruling majority.
"No security force, no army, will ever make us back down. We will continue to say no to this regime because Ousmane Sonko is a dictator. He is someone who was convicted of corrupting youth, and he is incapable of leading even a neighbourhood, let alone a National Assembly," he said.
Despite the opposition boycott, the ruling PASTEF party passed the constitutional revision bill with 129 votes in favour.
Justice Minister Moussa Sarr defended the reforms, saying they would address key constitutional issues and rebalance power between the executive and the legislature by simplifying motions of censure and limiting the president's authority to dissolve parliament.
Addressing lawmakers after the vote, National Assembly President Ousmane Sonko rejected criticism of the reforms.
"The Constitution does not belong to Bassirou Diomaye Faye. To come and say, 'No, I will no longer declare my assets at the end of my term,' or 'No, I want to be a party leader,' even though these were commitments made during a political dialogue and championed by the party," Sonko said.
The constitutional package proposes replacing the Constitutional Council with a Constitutional Court, preventing the president from leading a political party, expanding parliamentary oversight powers and reducing presidential authority.
The reforms come amid a political dispute between President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, who was dismissed in May before later becoming Speaker of Parliament.
President Faye has said the proposed constitutional changes will be put to a national referendum following their approval by the National Assembly.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
