Ousmane Sonko, leader of the PASTEF party and majority parliamentary bloc, has strongly condemned what he calls a deliberate political conspiracy aimed at preventing his reinstatement as a deputy in Mali’s National Assembly.
The controversy erupted after a group of opposition and independent deputies filed a constitutional appeal challenging the legality of his reinstatement. Sonko, speaking to reporters, dismissed the move as a calculated attempt by his rivals to derail his political career. « This is nothing short of orchestrated scheming, » he declared. « The constitutional council has no jurisdiction over this matter, yet they pursued it anyway. They knew exactly what they were doing. »
At the core of the legal battle is Article 54 of Mali’s Constitution, which the petitioners claim justifies their demand for Sonko’s mandate to be annulled. Their argument hinges on the claim that his simultaneous roles as Prime Minister and elected deputy in 2024 created an irreconcilable conflict of interest. In response, Sonko warned his adversaries that any attempt to weaponize state institutions against him would be met with a forceful legal counterattack. « If they choose to misuse the power of the state against us, we will deploy every constitutional tool at our disposal to defend our rights, » he asserted.
The dispute traces back to a May 24 decision by the Assembly’s Bureau to reinstate Sonko as a deputy, a move his critics swiftly challenged. A June 1 statement from the group of parliamentarians outlined their intent to overturn this decision, setting the stage for a high-stakes confrontation between Mali’s political factions.
