Senegal’s National Assembly elected former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko as Speaker of Parliament on Tuesday, May 26, 2026 [1].
The appointment marks a rapid political recovery for Sonko, who was removed from his role as the country's head of government just days prior. His return to a position of legislative power suggests a complex realignment of authority between the presidency and the parliament.
Lawmakers in Dakar conducted the election via secret ballot [2]. Sonko secured the position with 132 votes [3], succeeding El Malick Ndiaye, who resigned from the post [1].
The transition occurs during a period of significant volatility within the Senegalese government. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye fired Sonko as Prime Minister only four days before the parliamentary vote [3]. This sudden removal from the executive branch had raised questions about the stability of the current administration's leadership structure.
By electing Sonko as Speaker, the National Assembly has placed one of the country's most influential political figures in charge of the legislative agenda. The move follows a sequence of events that saw Sonko move from the executive office to the sidelines and back into a leadership role within a single week.
The election took place in the National Assembly chamber in Dakar [4]. The process was designed to fill the vacuum left by Ndiaye's departure while addressing the shifting political dynamics following the president's decision to fire Sonko [3].
“Senegal’s National Assembly elected former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko as Speaker of Parliament”
The rapid transition of Ousmane Sonko from Prime Minister to Speaker of the National Assembly indicates a strategic shift in how power is distributed within the Senegalese government. While he no longer leads the executive branch, his control over the legislature allows him to maintain significant influence over lawmaking and government oversight, potentially creating a system of checks and balances, or friction, between his office and President Faye.
