Africa-Press. Former Senegalese Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko, announced that the political party he leads will not participate in the new government, signaling a political deadlock amid a crippling debt crisis.
Sonko stated in a post on platform X that he met with President Bachelet Diomaye Faye, his former ally turned opponent, and there were “points of disagreement” regarding the future role of the Pastef party, which holds a significant parliamentary majority. Therefore, Sonko said, “Pastef will not participate in the upcoming government, and no minister will represent it… We wish the new team all the best.”
This announcement came an hour before his successor as Prime Minister, seasoned economist Amadou Aminou Lo, revealed the formation of the new government consisting of 30 ministers, while retaining Sheikh Deba in the sensitive position of Minister of Finance, amid ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund regarding a new lending program.
Deba’s responsibilities are being expanded to include the Ministry of Economy as well, which Lo described as creating more “consistency” in policy-making. The list of ministers appointed by Lo includes at least three members from the Pastef party, seemingly contradicting Sonko’s earlier announcement. Lo added that Faye will preside over the first meeting of the new government’s Council of Ministers next Friday.
After taking on the Ministry of Environment, Haj Abdou Rahmane Diouf, who publicly sided with the president at the beginning of the conflict with Ousmane Sonko, became Minister of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines. In the Ministry of Interior, Sonko’s lawyer left his position, replaced by Mohamedou Makhtar Sissé, the former Director General of Customs, who was also known as the last Minister of Interior in Macky Sall’s government, a position he held to organize the presidential elections in 2024.
The Prime Minister described the new government as “a government of action committed to achieving results,” which includes seven ministers allied with the Pastef party. This political upheaval comes at a time when Senegal is struggling to overcome a crisis caused by the previous government’s discovery of misreported debts in 2024.
The International Monetary Fund froze its $1.8 billion lending program for Senegal following the discovery of these debts, raising the country’s debt level to 132% of its economic output by the end of 2024.
Deba informed Parliament on May 22 that Senegal expects to resume talks with the International Monetary Fund in the week starting June 8, hoping to reach an agreement on key points by June 30. Later that day, Faye dismissed Sonko and dissolved the government, leading to Lo’s appointment and necessitating the nomination of a new government.
Last week, lawmakers rebelled against Faye’s decision to reinstate Sonko to Parliament, overwhelmingly supporting him as President of Parliament, with 132 deputies in favor out of 165 members. This was the latest example of the strong support of the Pastef party for Sonko, even though Faye was also elected under the party’s banner. In his new position, Sonko may have significant power to obstruct Faye’s agenda.
Sonko is a staunch critic of the International Monetary Fund and has rejected the possibility of debt restructuring. Faye has been less outspoken, and Lo’s views on this issue remain unclear.
In a memo published by Oxford Economics on Monday, Sonko indicated his intention to exercise strict parliamentary oversight, which could limit the executive’s ability to implement reforms in line with the International Monetary Fund’s requirements.
