Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye founded a new political party, deepening his split with former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and setting the stage for a reelection bid.
Faye will lead the new Kiiraay party in local and legislative polls ahead of national elections in 2029, a senior party official said. Faye and Sonko ran on the same ticket in the 2024 elections, but the alliance eroded over how the government should handle a daunting debt crisis.
Faye fired Sonko as prime minister in May, leaving Sonko to serve as the speaker of the National Assembly — a hugely influential role overseeing the parliamentary body occupied mainly by lawmakers from Sonko’s own Pastef party. The political fallout unfolded as authorities sought to navigate their way out of a financial crisis: The previous government failed to disclose billions of dollars in loans, pushing Senegal’s debt load above 130% of GDP and prompting the IMF to pause its program.