Senegal’s Parliament has dismissed a proposed revision of the constitution introduced by the country’s leaders. The revision was anticipated to lead to the dissolution of the opposition-dominated chamber.
Lawmakers narrowly rejected the proposal to eliminate two advisory bodies by three votes late Monday following a heated debate broadcast on social media.
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, elected in March, and his Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko do not hold the majority in the national assembly. The legislative body was elected in 2022, and supporters of former president Macky Sall still have influence.
The new leaders require a parliamentary majority to enact the promised changes under their platform of leftist pan-Africanism and social justice.
The president cannot dissolve the national assembly until it has been in session for at least two years. According to reports, Faye will be able to do so from September 12, exactly 24 months after the parliament’s first session post-election.
Presenting a draft constitutional revision that was likely to be rejected was widely perceived as a prelude to dissolving the national assembly. The proposed revision outlined the dissolution of the High Council of Local Authorities and the Economic, Social and Environmental Council, which Faye and Sonko have vowed to abolish.
The coalition of the former president has accused the new leaders of trying to find a reason to call for new legislative elections.