The National Assembly in Dakar witnessed a tense session yesterday as lawmakers from the ruling Pastef party secured approval for a sweeping constitutional reform bill. The legislation passed with 129 votes in favor, while opposition members staged a coordinated boycott after one of their colleagues was forcibly removed from the chamber.

Justice Minister Moussa Sarr represented the government during the debate, defending four proposed amendments. Each amendment was ultimately rejected by the majority bloc, leaving the original reform package intact.

Opposition condemns procedural violations

The walkout by opposition legislators followed the ejection of Abdou Mbow, who had refused to relinquish the podium despite repeated orders from Assembly President Ousmane Sonko. Opposition leaders condemned what they described as a flagrant violation of parliamentary rules.

Speaking on behalf of the opposition coalition, Aïssata Tall Sall declared the boycott a success in exposing alleged authoritarian tendencies within the legislature.

“Our objective was clear: to demonstrate to the world that the National Assembly has descended into dictatorship and constitutional fraud,” she stated. “Deploying security forces to remove a legislator for exercising his right to speak speaks volumes about the environment we now face. Mission accomplished.”

Government proposals fall flat

Minister Sarr had argued that the government’s amendments were necessary to prevent legislative overreach. His proposals included limiting the Assembly’s ability to introduce no-confidence motions while curtailing the President’s power of dissolution. However, Pastef lawmakers dismissed these concerns as unfounded.

“This reform undermines the very foundations of our constitutional order,” argued one legislator. “Expanding no-confidence motions to ten per term while restricting presidential dissolution to just one per mandate creates an institutional imbalance that threatens our democratic framework.”

Fractures emerge within ruling coalition

Tensions also surfaced between President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Assembly President Sonko over provisions requiring presidential asset declarations. Sonko criticized the President’s decision to drop the requirement for post-term declarations, calling it a betrayal of earlier commitments made by the party.

“The Constitution belongs to all Sénégalais, not to one individual,” Sonko asserted. “How can the President cherry-pick which promises to keep? This reform process was meant to be collective, not a one-sided exercise in power.”

While Sonko has urged immediate enactment of the law, President Faye has signaled his preference for submitting the controversial amendments to a national referendum. The conflicting positions have fueled public demonstrations outside the Assembly complex.

Protesters from both opposition groups and civil society organizations gathered Monday morning, voicing their opposition to the reform package. The debate surrounding the constitutional changes shows no signs of abating as the nation awaits the President’s next move.