Senegal political funds: Sonko challenges Faye over reform control

Government tensions flare over political fund oversight

Senegal’s Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has publicly challenged President Bassirou Diomaye Faye over the legislative control of political funds, a reform central to their election campaign. Speaking before legislators, Sonko revealed a fundamental disagreement with the president regarding who should lead the initiative.

The Prime Minister emphasized that the parliamentary proposal to regulate political financing originated from Deputy Guy Marius Sagna, not the government. He argued that such a critical reform should be driven by the executive branch, not lawmakers, and claimed to have personally warned the president about the risks of parliamentary overreach.

According to Sonko, President Diomaye responded cautiously, requesting time to assess the feasibility of the reform without setting a clear deadline. This delay has prompted the Prime Minister to issue a stark warning: if the president fails to act decisively, Sonko will bypass executive hesitation by submitting the proposal directly to the Council of Ministers for approval.

The standoff highlights growing governance tensions between Senegal’s two top leaders. While both campaigned on transparency and anti-corruption, their dispute over political fund regulation underscores deeper divisions over executive authority and legislative jurisdiction.