Senegal advances constitutional reforms and faces judicial rulings on executive powers

Senegal is undergoing significant constitutional and legislative shifts regarding government transparency and executive power. On August 17, 2026, deputies adopted a bill to amend Article 37 of the Constitution. This reform aims to establish a constitutional obligation for the President of the Republic, the President of the National Assembly, and the Prime Minister to publicly declare their assets. Justice Minister Moussa Sarr announced that the President has chosen to submit this revision to a referendum in accordance with Article 103.

In a separate institutional development, the Constitutional Council rejected a legislative proposal aimed at regulating the state’s “black box” or special credits. The Council ruled the bill inadmissible, stating that the Parliament had exceeded its competence by encroaching on regulatory domains reserved for the Executive under Articles 67 and 76 of the Constitution. The rejected bill was an attempt by the parliamentary majority, led by the Pastef party and Ousmane Sonko, to impose stricter controls on special credits to enhance financial transparency. The ruling reinforces the legal prerogatives of the Executive branch over public accounting and financial regulations.