The emergency judge at the Senegal Supreme Court has declined jurisdiction to rule on the case concerning Ousmane Sonko’s installation as a deputy, asserting that the matter falls under the internal affairs of the parliamentary institution. This decision follows a petition filed by the Union nationale des indépendants du Sénégal, which contested the validity of the procedure that allowed the Pastef party leader to reclaim his parliamentary seat before being elected as President of the National Assembly.
This recent legal move adds to an earlier ruling by the Constitutional Council, which also declared itself incompetent in June after reviewing a similar appeal submitted by eighteen opposition deputies. The Council argued that the contested act did not directly relate to the electoral process and thus fell outside its jurisdiction regarding national election integrity. Two high courts—the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Council—have now both abstained from adjudicating the merits of the dispute surrounding Sonko’s parliamentary return.
Reacting to the Supreme Court’s latest decision, lawyer Amadou Guèye sharply criticized the ruling, framing it as an act of defiance and a source of legal disorder. His stance aligns with criticisms from several opposition jurists and political leaders who have long condemned what they describe as a judicial void surrounding this case. Meanwhile, Ousmane Sonko himself has accused his adversaries of orchestrating a political conspiracy through successive legal challenges, dismissing the proceedings as politically motivated rather than legally justified.
Though the emergency judge has refused to rule on an interim basis, the final verdict on the main appeal remains pending. This legal uncertainty continues to fuel tensions between the pro-Sonko parliamentary majority and segments of the opposition, which have pursued multiple legal avenues without yet securing a favorable outcome in the courts.
