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[POLITICS] · Senegal · 6 sources

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Part of situation: Senegalese political and economic scrutiny (17 clusters)

Senegal Constitutional Council rejects petroleum code amendment

Senegal Constitutional Council petroleum code production sharing contracts parliamentary oversight

Senegal's Constitutional Council has declared law proposal n° 37/26 inadmissible, resolving a dispute between the government and the National Assembly regarding the country's petroleum code.

The proposed amendment sought to modify article 20 of the 2019 petroleum code. It would have required the President to submit production sharing contracts to the National Assembly for a mandatory debate in a plenary session before they could be approved by decree and published. The proposal did not include a requirement for a parliamentary vote.

Prime Minister Ahmadou Alhaminou M. Lo challenged the proposal, arguing that the requirement for a prior parliamentary debate encroached upon the executive's regulatory powers and introduced an unconstitutional procedural formality. Conversely, National Assembly President Ousmane Sonko defended the measure, stating it was intended to enhance transparency and parliamentary oversight of natural resource management without granting the Assembly the power to reject contracts.

In its decision, the Constitutional Council ruled that while fundamental rules regarding natural resources fall under the domain of law, the specific procedures for exercising regulatory power and signing decrees are presidential prerogatives. The Council concluded that subordinating contract signatures to a mandatory parliamentary debate constituted a regulatory constraint that exceeded the legislative domain.

Entities

Ahmadou Alhaminou M. Lo · Constitutional Council of Senegal · National Assembly of Senegal · Ousmane Diagne · Ousmane Sonko

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

  • [● 3 SOURCES] The proposed law sought to modify article 20 of the 2019 petroleum code. emedia.sn · lesoleil.sn · dakar92.com
  • [● 3 SOURCES] The Constitutional Council declared law proposal n° 37/26 inadmissible. emedia.sn · lesoleil.sn · dakar92.com
  • [● 3 SOURCES] The proposal required a mandatory parliamentary debate without a vote before the approval of production sharing contracts. emedia.sn · lesoleil.sn · dakar92.com
  • [● 3 SOURCES] The Council ruled that the proposed changes to the petroleum code fall under regulatory power rather than legislative law. emedia.sn · lesoleil.sn · dakar92.com
  • [DISPUTED] Prime Minister Ahmadou Alhaminou M. Lo filed a referral to the Council on September 28, 2026. lesoleil.sn · dakar92.com
  • [● 2 SOURCES] National Assembly President Ousmane Sonko argued the measure would increase transparency and parliamentary control. lesoleil.sn · dakar92.com

Sources

Code pétrolier au Sénégal : le Conseil constitutionnel donne raison au Premier ministre et rejette la proposition de loi n° 37/26 [emedia.sn]
Code pétrolier : le Conseil constitutionnel déclare irrecevable la proposition de débat préalable à l’Assemblée [lesoleil.sn]
Code pétrolier : le Conseil constitutionnel rejette la proposition de débat préalatoire à l’Assemblée [dakar92.com]
Code pétrolier : Abdourahmane Diouf appelle au respect de la décision du Conseil constitutionnel [www.leral.net]
Code pétrolier : le Conseil constitutionnel déclare irrecevable la proposition de loi du parti Pastef [www.pressafrik.com]
Code pétrolier : le Conseil constitutionnel bloque la proposition de loi [xalimasn.com]