Senegal President Faye and Speaker Sonko clash over constitutional reform referendum

On 29 June 2026 Senegal's National Assembly voted to adopt a constitutional amendment package proposed by the ruling PASTEF party. The text would prohibit a sitting president from leading a political party, limit presidential powers, expand parliamentary investigative authority and create a nine‑member Constitutional Court.

President Bassirou Diomaye Faye announced that the reforms will be submitted to a popular referendum, invoking article 103 of the constitution. Parliamentary speaker and former prime minister Ousmane Sonko, who heads the Assembly, rejected the referendum route, arguing that the vote by a three‑fifths majority should bind the president to promulgate the changes.

The disagreement has sparked street protests; police used tear‑gas to disperse demonstrators outside the parliament building. Civil‑society groups such as Y’en a marre have called for the referendum to be genuine and warned that the process could be a political maneuver. The episode underscores a deepening power struggle between President Faye and his erstwhile ally Sonko, with implications for Senegal's governance and upcoming elections.