Senegal ruling party says it will not join new government after Sonko-Faye split

Senegal's ruling Pastef party will not take part in the country's next government, Ousmane Sonko has said, deepening a political rift at the top of the state. Sonko, who was recently removed as prime minister, said the party would not be represented by any ministers. The announcement follows a meeting on Monday with President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, after which Sonko said disagreements emerged over Pastef's role in the executive.

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Sonko said the party would not participate in the new government and wished the incoming team success. He made the remarks in a post on X, according to the supplied report. The dispute comes after Faye sacked Sonko and dissolved the government on May 22, then appointed economist Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo as his replacement.

The timing suggests the split has moved from a personnel change into a broader political break. The fallout has already reached parliament, where lawmakers last week reinstated Sonko as a member and backed him as speaker with 132 votes in the 165-member assembly. That vote underlined the strength of Pastef's parliamentary position, even as tensions with the presidency widened.

It also showed that the party remains a central force in Senegal's legislature despite the change in government leadership. The immediate question is how the executive will function without the backing of the movement that dominates parliament. The dispute matters because it comes as Senegal is trying to manage a serious debt problem.

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The country has been dealing with the consequences of misreported debt discovered in 2024 by the previous government, which pushed end-2024 debt to 132% of economic output. The International Monetary Fund froze its $1.8 billion lending programme after the discovery, adding pressure on the authorities to restore confidence. Senegal is expected to resume talks with the fund next week, with the finance minister saying last month that the government hoped to reach agreement on key points by June 30.

The current crisis also reflects a rapid deterioration in relations between Faye and Sonko, who were previously allies. Sonko is both the party president and the recently ousted prime minister, making him one of the most influential figures in the governing camp. Faye's decision to dissolve the government and replace him has now been followed by a public refusal from Pastef to join the new cabinet.

That leaves the presidency and the party leadership visibly out of step at a sensitive moment for governance and economic policy. What remains unclear is how Faye will assemble a workable cabinet and whether the split will affect the government's approach to the debt negotiations. It is also not yet clear whether the disagreement will ease or lead to further institutional confrontation.

#Senegal #Pastef #OusmaneSonko #BassirouDiomayeFaye #IMF

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