Senegalese lawmakers voted to curtail the president’s powers, deepening political turmoil in the nation as it grapples with a debt crisis.
The proposed reform — which sparked scuffles in parliament and protests in the streets — seeks a “rebalance of power” by empowering parliament while banning the president from leading a political party or a coalition. It will go to a national referendum, though no date has been set.
The proposal was tabled by the Pastef party, led by Ousmane Sonko, the speaker of the National Assembly who was dismissed from his previous role as prime minister by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye last month, triggering a political firestorm in a country long seen as a regional bastion of democracy. The latest twist comes as Dakar seeks to untangle itself from a debt crisis that has plagued its economy since 2024, when the government uncovered billions of dollars in undisclosed loans, forcing the IMF to suspend lending.