Senegal President Bassirou Diomaye Faye Calls Referendum on Controversial Constitutional Reform

On 29 June 2026 the Senegalese National Assembly voted unanimously (129 of 129 present) to adopt a constitutional amendment that curtails presidential powers, bars the president from leading a political party, expands parliamentary oversight, creates a nine‑member constitutional court and limits the president’s ability to dissolve the Assembly. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye announced, via Justice Minister Moussa Sarr, that the text will be submitted to a popular referendum in accordance with article 103 of the constitution. The vote took place amid a heated parliamentary session, tear‑gas dispersal of protesters outside the legislature, an opposition boycott and the forcible removal of deputy Abdou Mbow. Assembly President Ousmane Sonko, who heads the majority Pastef party, criticised the president’s approach and urged direct promulgation of the law. Demonstrations and arrests continued in Dakar, reflecting deep political tensions between President Faye and Assembly President Sonko over the balance of power in Senegal.