Keypoints:
- Faye moves to establish new party
- Split with Sonko deepens
- Constitutional reforms face uncertainty
SENEGAL’S President Bassirou Diomaye Faye is moving to establish his own political party, deepening an increasingly public split with former prime minister Ousmane Sonko and signalling a new phase in the country’s post-election political realignment.
According to Reuters, Faye has instructed senior adviser Aminata Touré to create a task force that will oversee the formation of the new party. The move comes weeks after Sonko was removed as prime minister, ending months of growing tensions between the two men who jointly led Senegal’s anti-establishment movement to power. Faye’s dismissal of Sonko marked the beginning of Senegal’s most serious political crisis since the 2024 election, transforming an internal disagreement into an open struggle for political leadership.
Why it matters
Faye’s decision represents more than the launch of another political organisation. It effectively formalises the breakdown of the alliance that swept Senegal’s reform movement into office in 2024 and could reshape the country’s political landscape ahead of local elections scheduled for 2027.
The split also raises questions over the government’s reform agenda, parliamentary cooperation and investor confidence as Senegal continues efforts to restore fiscal credibility following revelations that the previous administration understated the country’s public debt.
What’s changing?
The two men rose to power together in 2024 after Sonko, barred from contesting the presidential election at the time, endorsed Faye as the reform movement’s candidate. Their political partnership reshaped Senegal’s political landscape, as explored in How Sonko became Senegal’s insurgent force.
Until now, Faye has remained a member of Pastef, the ruling party led by Sonko. Creating a separate political movement would establish an independent political base for the president and further distance him from Pastef, even as Sonko continues to consolidate his authority within the ruling party, reinforcing his influence despite leaving government.
The emergence of rival political structures around Senegal’s two most influential politicians is likely to redefine alliances within the governing coalition over the coming months.
Constitutional battle exposes wider divide
The political disagreement has increasingly shifted from personalities to institutions.
Sonko has championed constitutional reforms in parliament that would prevent a sitting president from simultaneously leading a political party.
The latest development builds on the increasingly public clash between President Faye and the Pastef leadership, which has gradually shifted from internal party disagreements to a broader contest over the balance of political power in Senegal.
Lawmakers approved the proposed reforms last week, but Faye has opted to submit the measures to a national referendum instead of allowing them to take immediate effect.
No date has yet been announced for the referendum. The constitutional vote represents the latest stage in a wider institutional struggle examined in Senegal referendum tests Faye’s powers.
Economic challenges heighten political stakes
The political uncertainty comes at a sensitive moment for Senegal’s economy.
The government continues to deal with the fallout from revelations that the previous administration significantly misreported public debt, while the growing leadership rivalry threatens to complicate debt negotiations and economic reforms, adding another layer of uncertainty for investors and international partners.
Although Senegal remains one of West Africa’s most stable democracies, prolonged rivalry between the country’s two most prominent political figures risks slowing governance reforms and diverting attention from economic priorities.
Local elections become first major test
Attention is already turning towards local elections expected in 2027.
Those polls are widely expected to become the first direct electoral contest between political forces aligned with Faye and those loyal to Sonko.
The results will provide the clearest indication yet of whether voters remain committed to the united reform movement that won power in 2024 or whether support has shifted towards competing political camps.
For now, Faye’s planned party marks the strongest indication yet that the partnership underpinning Senegal’s political transition has entered a decisive new chapter.
