Senegal faces deepening political rift over June constitutional revision

On 29 June the Senegalese Parliament voted on a draft constitutional revision that would alter the balance of powers. The vote triggered a sharp split between President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Assembly President Ousmane Sonko, leader of the PASTEF bloc. Opponents allege that Sonko introduced last‑minute changes to strengthen the parliamentary majority and that the process was forced through an emergency procedure.

Opposition deputies, including Thierno Alassane Sall, Aïssata Tall Sall and former MP Maïmouna Sène, reported that the plenary session descended into physical confrontations, with gendarmes intervening and one lawmaker sustaining a knee injury. They condemned the suppression of debate, describing it as an “authoritarian drift” and a “dictatorship”. The critics called for civil society, magistrates and intellectuals to mobilise to defend Senegalese democracy and urged that the final decision be taken by a popular referendum, as announced by President Faye.

The controversy reflects broader tensions over the proposed reduction of presidential powers and the perceived concentration of authority in the hands of the parliamentary majority.