Tension has once again become a headline in the political arena SenegalSigns of disagreement between the government and the opposition appeared to constitute another chapter of the crisis, but this time with an exchange of roles, as the old regime turned into the opposition, while the old opposition holds the reins of power today.
It was expected that the matter would be settled by the new government led by the Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko After installation Passero Diomai Fay He became president of the country in April 2024, but the winds of opposition blew in a way that the ships of the new government did not desire.
The armed opposition, with a parliamentary majority and in some local councils, stood strongly in the face of the current authority to obstruct its programs.
The dispute between the legislative and executive authorities was only part of the chapters of a political crisis and conflict that revolved around the new government’s quest to open an investigation into the files of oil and gas contracts and hold accountable those involved in embezzlement and mismanagement, which the opposition sees as an attempt to target it and eliminate its political legacy.
The conflict of views between the regime and the opposition led to aggravation of the political situation, and each party used its own means, as government programs were suspended, Parliament was dissolved, investigation files were opened, and a number of officials were banned from traveling.
Opposition parliament
Changing Parliament was not one of President Basseiro Faye’s priorities, but the lack of harmony with the program he presented to the people was behind the acceleration of its dissolution. During the discussion of the draft state budget last June, the coalition of opposition representatives withdrew to prevent its adoption.
The alliance of Ousmane Sonko and Abdoulaye Wade needed the joining of 3 deputies in order to obtain an absolute majority, after they together won 80 seats out of the 165 seats in the Senegalese parliament.
On September 3, the government presented a draft constitutional amendment to the Legislative Council stipulating the abolition of two advisory bodies, the “Economic and Social Council” and the “Supreme Council of Local Communities,” but the “Beno Buk Yakar” coalition of representatives, which has a majority since the era of the former president, Macy asked The draft amendment was dropped.
The government believes that the two institutions are useless, and if they are abolished, the general budget will save an amount of more than 70 billion African francs, or about 114 million euros, every 5 years.
After the amendments were rejected and the representatives threatened to cast a vote of no confidence in the government’s program, the President issued a presidential decree on September 12 to dissolve Parliament, and announced the organization of elections on November 17.
Fay said that he is turning to the people to give them the institutional means that allow him to implement his program for which he was elected, considering that working with the National Assembly (Parliament) to implement his programs and the economic reforms that he promised has become difficult.
The decree dissolving Parliament was issued after the Constitutional Council issued a fatwa declaring the legality of the move, which falls within the powers of the President of the Republic.
Corruption files
The existing crisis between the wings of the opposition and the regime reflects deep differences and differences in visions between supporters of the new and old regime regarding many files, most notably economic issues, especially the review of oil and gas contracts that were concluded during the era of the former president.
Last August, Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko said that his government had formed a committee that included legal experts to review fuel contracts and work to align them in line with the country’s interests.
This step angered the representatives and a number of officials affiliated with Macky Sall’s regime. The representatives justified their refusal to amend the constitution and their failure to vote on the government’s programs by saying that the new regime wanted to eliminate the political legacy of the previous regime.
At the end of last September, Sonko announced the results of the country’s financial assessment, and said that those who were running things before him had pursued a policy of debt that lacked controls and had falsified the numbers that were provided to international partners. He claimed that the outgoing regime had practiced non-transparent use of resources.
Observers had previously expected that the initiation of financial and economic reforms would accelerate the confrontation between the new regime and the generation of previous regimes that still control the joints of the state.
In an article in Al Jazeera Net about the opportunities and challenges of the new Senegalese president, Sudanese diplomat Atta Al-Mannan Bakhit said that the ruling Pastif Party will clash with the generation of the deep state and enter with it into a bone-breaking battle, if it embarks on anti-corruption programs.
Nomination battle
The Election Commission announced 41 lists that were accepted to run in the alternative parliament elections. The list includes many parties, coalitions, and political blocs seeking to remain in the political scene.
The electoral campaign will begin on October 27 and end on November 15, and after the electoral silence day, voting will take place on the 17th of the same month.
The local political scene has seemed confused due to the short time period scheduled for the elections, and it will be difficult to coordinate between political alliances whose positions have changed and whose interests have conflicted.
Former President Macky Sall wants to enter the political scene again, but this time from the opposition that brought him to power in 2012, and he formed a new alliance called “Tako Walu Senegal” (Save Senegal), which includes the Alliance for Democracy Party (the former ruling party). ) And the Senegalese Democratic Party, headed by Karim Wade, son of former President Abdoulaye Wade.
Sall will be at the top of the lists of the new coalition to confront his opponents who removed him from power in the last presidential elections, and for this reason he submitted his resignation from his position as special envoy for the Paris Charter for People and Planet, which the French President assigned him to do. Emmanuel Macron Late 2023, 3 months before his departure from the presidency of Senegal.
In a step towards escalation and raising the pace of competition, the “Tako Walu Singal” coalition submitted a request to the Constitutional Council to prevent the nomination of Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko at the head of the lists of the “African Patriots for Morality and Action” (PASTIF) party.
But Al-Dustouri rejected the appeal aimed at canceling the Prime Minister’s nomination because it was not issued by the Elections Administration, which has the sole right to object to the nomination of people.
Sonko is considered an inspiration to Senegalese youth because he was able to turn the tide and change the scales since he entered the political arena in 2014, raising the slogan of fighting corruption and engaging young people, until his party was able to win the presidential race through the opposition coalition in the first round of the race, which is a precedent in the country’s history.
In terms of political travel and repositioning, the former majority presidential candidate, Amadou Bah, turned his back on his comrade, Macky Sall, and decided to run in the elections at the head of the Peace and Prosperity Alliance, known as “Jam Ak Najarin.”
Trial and immunity
Government leaders are betting on winning a comfortable majority in Parliament in order to have the opportunity to implement its programs, and winning the electoral bet will allow it to begin trying high-ranking officials from previous eras, such as the President of the Republic, who can only be tried by a special court approved by Parliament.
The Sina Web newspaper quoted Infrastructure Minister Malek Ndiaye that if the Pastif party wins the elections, it will ask the National Assembly to form a special court to try President Macky Sall and former ministers.
The newspaper also reported statements made by Ousmane Sonko in which he said that if Sall became a political symbol again, this would contribute to his impunity, which means that the current regime is moving towards investigating him.
To win the bet, the current government pushed a number of its members to run in a number of constituencies to attract voters and convince them to join the youth-led Pastev Party project. In return, the former president, who ran the country for 13 years, wants to remain in the sphere of influence and politics, and gain new immunity through Parliament.
Sall and opposition figures are seeking to prevent the regime from gaining the majority that would allow it to form the Supreme Court through Parliament, which is authorized by law alone to try those in high positions for their period of administration of the country.
Charges of oppression
Sall and the symbols of his regime are accused of suppressing demonstrations and protests, which resulted in a number of deaths and injuries. According to data from the International Amnesty Court, the former regime killed 60 people due to political repression in the period between 2021-2024.
The French newspaper Le Monde quoted sources within Mekki Sall’s party that the regime withdrew the passports of more than 50 people, including ministers, former representatives, and executive directors.
The newspaper described the upcoming elections as a second round between the Pastif Party and Macky Sall, who was ousted in the first half of the last presidential elections.
