Senegal Court Strikes Down Parliamentary Power Grab Bill

The Constitutional Council of Senegal struck down a wide-ranging institutional reform bill on July 9, 2026, after Bassirou Diomaye Faye challenged the procedure used to adopt the amendments. The bill, which the National Assembly of Senegal passed unanimously on June 29, sought to shift the country toward a parliamentary system by reducing the president's role to a ceremonial one and barring a sitting president from leading a political party. It also aimed to grant investigative powers to parliament and restrict the president's ability to dissolve the legislature.

The court's veto was based on procedural failures and a lack of budgetary provision for a future Constitutional Court. Beyond executive powers, the rejected bill included a proposed amendment to Article 17 of the Constitution to legally define marriage exclusively as being between a man and a woman.

The legal battle underscores a growing political rift between President Faye and Ousmane Sonko, the Speaker of the National Assembly of Senegal and leader of the Pastef party. Critics described the reform as a power grab by Sonko, while Faye has recently announced plans to establish his own political party. Ousmane Sonko stated he respects the court's binding decision, asserting that the process demonstrates the role of democratic institutions.