Senegal's Sacked Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko Elected as new Parliament Speaker

Senegal's former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, who was dramatically sacked on Friday by the president, has been elected Speaker of the national parliament setting up a possible source of conflict at the top of Senegalese politics.

He received a long ovation after being elected, with no member voting against him and one abstaining, according to the session’s presiding member, Ismael Diallo. Sonko was the sole candidate for the position.

He replaces El Malick Ndiaye, a loyal supporter who resigned on Sunday, paving the way for the ex-prime minister’s rise.

But lawmakers ⁠⁠rebelled by reinstating Sonko as a member on Tuesday and voting to elect him as ⁠⁠speaker with 132 votes in favour.

Sonko remains the undisputed leader of Pastef, the party which controls 130 of the 165 seats in Senegal’s only legislative body.

Parliament's previous Speaker stepped down on Sunday to make way for the former prime minister, who is a popular figure and whose Pastef party has a majority of the seats in the National Assembly.

Aissata Tall Sall, who heads the main opposition, denounced it as an “institutional coup” which she said on Monday was prepared under “pressure that the majority wants to impose”.

Sall said she believed Sonko, to become a lawmaker again, should first have resigned as prime minister to sit even temporarily in parliament before returning to government.

Faye appointed Sonko prime minister in April 2024 after winning the presidential election the previous month.

Faye largely owes his position to Sonko, his one-time mentor who would almost certainly have taken the top job had he not been barred from the presidential election due to a defamation conviction.

The West African nation's current crisis follows months of tension between Sonko and his one-time ally President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.

On Monday, Faye appointed economist Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo to replace Sonko as prime minister.

Relations between the president and his now-former prime minister had been deteriorating for months, with Sonko openly criticising Faye for his handling of Senegal's debt problems.

"What is at stake is the relationship between morality and politics," Sonko has since said, promising not to use his new position to "to fight against anyone" and instead ensure that parliament acts in Senegalese citizens' best interests.

Yet Sonko has also said that his dismissal as prime minister does not mean his political career is over.

Prior to Sonko's sacking, talks with the IMF were expected to resume in June over the lending programme, the Reuters news agency reports.

As an opposition MP, Sonko was renowned for fiercely challenging former President Macky Sall's policies - a trait which he also demonstrated against his boss Faye.

Sonko would almost certainly have taken the top job had he not been barred from running in 2024's presidential election because of a defamation conviction.