Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye on Monday, July 6, referred the country’s recently adopted constitutional reform to the Constitutional Council of Senegal, questioning whether the procedure used to approve the changes complied with the Constitution.
The President said he was not challenging the content of the reform but the process that led to its adoption on June 29 by the National Assembly, where it received 129 votes out of 165. He asked the Constitutional Council to rule on the matter within eight days.
The reform, which amends 29 constitutional articles, seeks to reshape Senegal’s political system by strengthening the powers of the National Assembly and the Prime minister, replacing the Constitutional Council with a Constitutional Court, barring the President from leading a political party, and limiting presidential powers to dissolve Parliament.
The changes have sparked controversy, with critics accusing the ruling PASTEF of pushing through reforms that could benefit Ousmane Sonko, while the Government says the proposals emerged from previous national consultations held in 2024 and 2025.