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3w ago

Senegal President Removes Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko

The decree ends months of factional fights and leaves the government in caretaker mode with no successor named, raising questions about party control and the 2029 presidential race.

Des partisans d'Ousmane Sonko se rassemblent pour manifester devant son domicile à Dakar le 22 mai 2026, à la suite de sa révocation du poste de Premier ministre du Sénégal.
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Le premier ministre Ousmane Sonko a été limogé par le président sénégalais, Bassirou Diomaye Faye
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Overview

  • President Bassirou Diomaye Faye issued a decree on Friday, May 22, 2026, that ended Ousmane Sonko’s tenure as prime minister and dismissed the cabinet, with ministers ordered to handle only routine affairs.
  • No replacement has been named and the government is operating in a caretaker capacity, which requires the president to propose a new prime minister who must win parliamentary approval within three months.
  • Sonko posted a brief message of calm on his Facebook page and videos showed hundreds of supporters gathering at his Dakar home after the announcement, underlining his strong popular base among young voters.
  • Sonko’s party, Pastef, holds a dominant majority in the National Assembly, giving the legislature leverage to approve or reject any new prime minister and to threaten a censure motion if it chooses.
  • The rupture complicates governance as the administration faces heavy public debt and a suspended IMF program, and follows a mid-May law that opened a possible path for Sonko to seek the 2029 presidency.