Overview
- President Bassirou Diomaye Faye fired Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and dissolved the government in a state broadcast late Friday, ordering ministers to stay on only as caretakers.
- Parliamentary speaker El Malick Ndiaye resigned on Sunday, a move that clears the way for Sonko to seek the assembly speakership and prompted deputies to be summoned to reinstate him and elect a new speaker.
- The shake-up complicates stalled IMF negotiations over a suspended $1.8 billion program after discovery of previously undisclosed debt that pushed Senegal’s end‑2024 debt to about 132% of GDP, and finance officials say talks could resume in June.
- The split reflects sharp policy fights inside PASTEF over audits and renegotiation of oil, gas and mining contracts and over whether to accept IMF-backed debt restructuring, with Sonko opposing formal restructuring and Faye signaling a willingness to engage the Fund.
- Sonko’s strong youth base and Pastef’s parliamentary majority raise the risk of protests, motions of no confidence, or a prolonged parliamentary standoff that could slow reforms and affect citizens through delayed services and higher fiscal pressure ahead of local and 2029 presidential elections.