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Ex-PM Sonko Elected Speaker, Opposition Calls Coup

5/27/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko was elected speaker of the National Assembly after Speaker El Malick Ndiaye resigned on May 24.
Sonko’s party Pastef holds 130 of the 165 parliamentary seats, giving him a majority.
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye appointed prime minister Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo.
Opposition leaders called the speaker election an “institutional coup,” warning that Sonko could curb President Faye’s agenda amid a debt of 132 % of GDP.

History

Historical Context

Senegal’s democratic turn began in 2000 when Abdoulaye Wade ended the Socialist Party’s 40-year rule, and solidified in March 2012 when Macky Sall peacefully succeeded Wade, his United-in-Hope coalition winning a parliamentary majority of 125 of 165 seats. That precedent underpins today’s Ousmane Sonko, whose Pastef party now commands a majority and his election as speaker, echoing the 2012 shift.

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Story summary

Former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko was elected speaker of the National Assembly after Speaker El Malick Ndiaye resigned on May 24.
Sonko’s party Pastef holds 130 of the 165 parliamentary seats, giving him a majority.
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye appointed prime minister Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo.
Opposition leaders called the speaker election an “institutional coup,” warning that Sonko could curb President Faye’s agenda amid a debt of 132 % of GDP.

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