Ousted Senegal PM Ousmane Sonko re-elected party chief amid crisis

The speaker of Senegal's parliament, Ousmane Sonko, a powerful mentor-turned-rival to President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, won re-election Saturday as head of their party amid a political crisis sparked by their falling-out.

Sonko, who was sacked as Faye's prime minister last month, easily won a leadership vote at a congress of their Pan-Africanist Pastef party in Diamniadio, outside the capital Dakar, according to a text read out at the gathering.

Pastef said Sonko had unanimously won a vote of 583 party delegates.

Faye won the presidency after widely popular Sonko was barred from standing in Senegal's 2024 election.

Sonko anointed Faye to run in his place, then served as his premier.

But after months of mounting tension between them, Faye dismissed Sonko as prime minister on May 22.

Four days later, Sonko won election to his current post as speaker of the National Assembly.

The rift has triggered political upheaval for the heavily indebted west African country and uncertainty for their party, the biggest in parliament.

Sonko told Saturday's gathering: "Our voice is that of a democratic revolution, popular and sovereign."

He vowed: "No attempt at sabotage will succeed, because the people will provide the guarantees needed to free our country."

Faye urged against further dividing the nation in a speech on Thursday.

"No quarrel, however bitter, is worth tearing apart the country we share," he said.

Tensions emerged in July 2025, when the then-prime minister sharply attacked Faye, alleging a "problem of authority" in the country.

In May, the president took a shot at Sonko, saying the party needed to be "depersonalised" from any leader dominating it.

The two had disagreed on how to tackle Senegal's debt: Faye is open to discussions with the International Monetary Fund on a new loan programme, while Sonko advocated a sovereign approach.

Local elections are scheduled for 2027, ahead of a presidential election in 2029.

While Pastef's majority in the National Assembly can censure the government, from November, following two years in office, Faye will also be authorised to dissolve the parliament to try to secure a new majority.