President elected to republican office, Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, finds himself in a complicated situation as he has to navigate a parliamentary assembly controlled by the new opposition.The alliance between Taxawu Senegal and PDS, which had previously functioned smoothly, has now been disrupted. Faced with a daunting challenge, Faye may consider dissolving the assembly before its two-year term ends, though it would be deemed unconstitutional.
Bassirou Diomaye Faye was newly elected to presidential office following the March 24th elections. However, he will need to negotiate and compromise in order to successfully implement his agenda. This will effectively put him in a “cohabitation” situation with the majority party, Benno bokk yaakaar. According to the Constitution, he will have to work with them until 2027. However, Faye has the option of dissolving the Assembly, but this would require him to wait another five months.
Can he afford to wait? The PDS alliance, issues with Taxawu, and the majority of Benno.It is astonishing how politics can shape and change. Just a few days ago, members of PDS and Benno were working together to push through their initiatives with ease. However, everything has now been turned on its head with the alliance between Wade’s party and Faye’s coalition.
This has had a ripple effect in the Assembly, affecting even the inter-coalition dynamics that had previously functioned smoothly. This, however, may not be sufficient as the group Yewwi askan wi, now without the support of Taxawu Senegal, lacks the numbers to match up against Benno. Unless Faye mends bridges with Khalifa Sall and attempts to regain the balance that was in place on September 12th, it is highly likely that the alliances in the Assembly will remain strained.
This means that the newly elected president will already have his hands full, navigating these complex alliances.Macky Sall’s failed attempt at dissolving the Assembly.It could be argued that it was to avoid a situation like this that the President Macky Sall attempted to dissolve the Assembly back in July 2023. In 2022, Yewwi askan wi had put Benno Bokk Yakar in a precarious position, and they could only maintain a majority by wooing a member from Bokk Gis Gis.
The President had hoped to dissolve the Assembly and hold new legislative elections, possibly coupled with the Presidential polls. After numerous discussions on political dialogues, he proposed a modification to the Constitution, specifically Article 87 which would have allowed him to dissolve the Assembly by decree at any time. This created an uproar, with a significant portion of the opposition standing against it. Macky Sall had hoped to ride on the wave of dialogue, with talks surrounding the rehabilitation of Khalifa Sall and Karim Wade. Yet, this proved to be unpopular and led to protests at Place Soweto.
Under immense pressure, President Macky Sall was forced to withdraw the amendment. In fact, Wilane stated that “the president of our coalition, the head of state, thought it was more peaceful and in line with popular will to withdraw the amendment. Because the likelihood of a dissolution coupled with the unfounded rumors surrounding it prompted him to remain above all suspicion.” His colleague in the Pastef party, Guy Marius Sagna, condemned this as a “manipulation of the constitution” to couple the presidential polls with the legislative ones. A dissolution before the approved timeline seems unlikely. This puts the newly elected President Bachirou Faye in a precarious position of high politics
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