Senegal parliament speaker steps down as political crisis worsens

Senegal’s parliament speaker El Malick Ndiaye resigns two days after his close ally Ousmane Sonko was fired as prime minister. Ndiaye’s resignation clears the way for Sonko to run for head of parliament, where his Pastef party holds a strong majority. The resignation is presented as a personal choice focused on institutions, public responsibility, and national interest. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye’s reform agenda faces added complications as the president and prime minister had months of tensions. Sonko’s dismissal risks deepening uncertainty in a country dealing with a debt crisis and IMF negotiations. The IMF froze a $1.8bn lending program after misreported hidden debt, raising end-2024 debt to 132% of economic output.

"Senegal's parliament speaker says he is resigning, two days after his close ally was fired as prime minister in a deepening political crisis. The move by speaker El Malick Ndiaye clears the way for sacked premier Ousmane Sonko to run for the post of head of parliament, where his Pastef party holds a strong majority."

"Ndiaye said on Facebook that his decision to step down was a personal choice, guided above all by my notion of institutions, public responsibility and the greater interest of the nation. Faye owed his presidency in large part to Sonko, who would almost certainly have taken the top job had he not been barred from running in the last presidential election due to a defamation conviction."

"Faye's dismissal of Sonko on Friday risked worsening uncertainty in a country grappling with a debt crisis and ongoing talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF froze a $1.8bn lending programme following the discovery of misreported debt hidden by the previous government, pushing the country's end-2024 debt level to 132 percent of its economic output. Faye's move increases the threat of further delays in reaching a new agreement with the IMF."

"On Friday, before Sonko's dismissal, Finance Minister Cheikh Diba told parliament that the government expects to resume talks with the IMF in the second week of June, and hopes to reach an agreement on key points by June 30. Sonko was a popular opposition leader under the previous administration of President Macky Sall, whose decision to delay the 2024"

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