Opposition lawmakers in Senegal have formally petitioned the Constitutional Council, requesting that the decision by the National Assembly Bureau on May 24, 2026, to reinstate Ousmane Sonko as a deputy be declared unconstitutional.
The dissenting deputies are urging the Constitutional Council to uphold its crucial role by rectifying what they describe as a “forfeiture” that fundamentally “undermines the regular functioning” of the nation’s parliamentary institution.
The opposition members of the National Assembly, whose names appear below, have informed the Senegalese populace and both national and international public opinion of their formal appeal to the Constitutional Council. Their petition seeks to invalidate the National Assembly Bureau’s decision of May 24, 2026, concerning the reintegration of Mr. Ousmane Sonko into his parliamentary seat.
Mr. Sonko, after being appointed Prime Minister and subsequently elected as a deputy in 2024, found himself in a situation of incompatibility as stipulated by Article 54 of the Constitution. By choosing to retain his governmental position, he effectively relinquished his mandate as a deputy, in accordance with the Constitution and the then-applicable internal regulations of the Assembly. His subsequent reintegration, followed by his election as President of the National Assembly on May 26, 2026, represents a clear and egregious breach of the Constitution and the principle of the separation of powers. The Constitutional Council, as the ultimate arbiter of parliamentary mandate validity and regulator of state institutions, is the sole body capable of preventing such a grave act from escaping scrutiny.
Furthermore, we report that we were compelled to issue bailiff summons to obtain the essential documents required for our appeal. These included the official act of Mr. Sonko’s reintegration and the minutes from the plenary session of May 26, 2026. Despite being served on June 1, 2026, by judicial bailiff Maître Abou Sall, both the Secretary-General and the First Vice-President of the National Assembly refused to provide these documents. This refusal to furnish public records to elected representatives of the nation, even through official channels, constitutes a severe impediment to the rights of deputies and to democratic transparency.
Consequently, we respectfully implore the Constitutional Council to fully exercise its mandate by putting an end to this aberration, which jeopardizes the integrity and proper operation of the parliamentary body.
We reiterate our unwavering resolve to defend the Senegalese Constitution and democracy through exclusively legal and peaceful avenues. No majority, regardless of its size, stands above the fundamental law of the Republic.
The signatory deputies:
- Daouda Dia
- Aïssata Ousmane Diallo
- Amadou Diallo
- Raqui Diallo
- Mamadou Diaw
- Salimata Diop Dieng
- Mbaye Dione
- Thérèse Faye
- Barane Fofana
- Cheikh Omar Hann
- Birima Mangara
- Abdou Mbow
- Fabineta Ndiaye
- Anta Babacar Ngom
- Thierno Alassane Sall
- Maguette Sène
- Abdoulaye Sylla
- Tafsir Thioye
