On Thursday, Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye declared the dissolution of the opposition-dominated parliament and scheduled new legislative elections for November 17.
“I have dissolved the National Assembly to ask the sovereign people for the institutional means that would allow me to give substance to the systemic transformation that I promised them,” Faye said on national television.
“Today, more than ever, the time has come to open a new phase in our term,” the 44-year-old head of state said.
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Faye won the presidential election in March 2024 on a platform promising radical change for Senegal.
Running alongside Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, Faye campaigned on themes of sovereignty and leftist pan-Africanism, inspiring many young people in a nation where three-quarters of the population is under 35.
However, his government has faced challenges due to a lack of parliamentary majority. Under Senegal’s constitution, Faye had the authority to dissolve the opposition-dominated parliament starting September 12 and call for early legislative elections.
This move aims to secure a majority that would enable him to pursue his policy agenda.
In his address, Faye described his earlier promise of “frank collaboration with the parliamentary majority” as an illusion.
“It has decided to turn its back on the people to pursue its cult of obstruction, thereby blocking the project for which I was elected,” he said.
He specifically criticized the handling of public finances under his predecessor, Macky Sall, alleging “deliberately concealed excesses” in spending.
He also announced that a report, soon to be published and approved by Senegal’s court of auditors, would shed more light on these issues.
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