Senegal Lawmakers approve bill to curb presidential powers
Tapiwa Rubaya is the current affairs, fashion and sports reporter at My Afrika Magazine.
Senegal’s National Assembly has approved a landmark constitutional reform bill that would significantly reduce the powers of the presidency while strengthening the authority of Parliament and the prime minister, marking one of the country’s most consequential political reforms in recent years.
The controversial bill was passed on Monday following a tense parliamentary session dominated by heated debate, an opposition boycott and protests outside the National Assembly.
Demonstrators opposed to the reforms clashed with security forces, with police using tear gas to disperse crowds and arresting several protesters.
The proposed constitutional changes are intended to rebalance power between the executive and the legislature.
Among the key provisions, the bill limits the president’s authority to dissolve Parliament, bars a sitting president from serving as leader of a political party, strengthens the investigative powers of the National Assembly, and requires the government to keep lawmakers informed about agreements involving the exploitation of the country’s natural resources.
It also establishes a nine-member Constitutional Court to replace the existing Constitutional Council.
The reform also gives the prime minister a greater role in government by requiring the president to prepare the government’s programme in consultation with the prime minister and by expanding the prime minister’s authority over certain public service appointments.
Supporters claim these measures will improve accountability and reinforce democratic checks and balances.
The legislation comes amid growing political tensions between President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and his former ally, Ousmane Sonko, who was recently removed as prime minister before becoming President of the National Assembly. The governing PASTEF party, led by Sonko, introduced the reforms, arguing that they are necessary to strengthen democratic institutions and prevent excessive concentration of executive power.
Opposition parties and some civil society organisations, however, have criticised the bill, describing it as politically motivated and accusing lawmakers of using constitutional reforms to weaken the presidency amid an ongoing power struggle within the country’s leadership.
Although Parliament has approved the constitutional amendment, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has announced that the proposed reforms will be submitted to a national referendum, allowing Senegalese citizens to decide whether the constitutional changes should take effect. A date for the referendum has not yet been announced.
The controversial bill was passed on Monday following a tense parliamentary session dominated by heated debate, an opposition boycott and protests outside the National Assembly.
Demonstrators opposed to the reforms clashed with security forces, with police using tear gas to disperse crowds and arresting several protesters.
The proposed constitutional changes are intended to rebalance power between the executive and the legislature.
Among the key provisions, the bill limits the president’s authority to dissolve Parliament, bars a sitting president from serving as leader of a political party, strengthens the investigative powers of the National Assembly, and requires the government to keep lawmakers informed about agreements involving the exploitation of the country’s natural resources.
It also establishes a nine-member Constitutional Court to replace the existing Constitutional Council.
The reform also gives the prime minister a greater role in government by requiring the president to prepare the government’s programme in consultation with the prime minister and by expanding the prime minister’s authority over certain public service appointments.
Supporters claim these measures will improve accountability and reinforce democratic checks and balances.
The legislation comes amid growing political tensions between President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and his former ally, Ousmane Sonko, who was recently removed as prime minister before becoming President of the National Assembly. The governing PASTEF party, led by Sonko, introduced the reforms, arguing that they are necessary to strengthen democratic institutions and prevent excessive concentration of executive power.
Opposition parties and some civil society organisations, however, have criticised the bill, describing it as politically motivated and accusing lawmakers of using constitutional reforms to weaken the presidency amid an ongoing power struggle within the country’s leadership.
Although Parliament has approved the constitutional amendment, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has announced that the proposed reforms will be submitted to a national referendum, allowing Senegalese citizens to decide whether the constitutional changes should take effect. A date for the referendum has not yet been announced.
