By Brian Kiprono - Reporter
Senegal, 26 May 2026 - Just days after being dismissed as Senegal’s prime minister, Ousmane Sonko has staged a dramatic political comeback by securing one of the country’s most powerful offices, setting up a fresh power struggle at the heart of government.
Sonko was on Tuesday elected Speaker of Senegal’s National Assembly after lawmakers overwhelmingly backed him for the post, cementing his return to the centre of power despite his fallout with President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.
The development marks a new chapter in the increasingly public tensions between the two leaders who once campaigned side by side as symbols of political change in Senegal.
Sonko won 132 out of 133 votes cast after opposition lawmakers boycotted the parliamentary session in Dakar.
His election came only days after President Faye removed him from the premiership and appointed economist Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo as the new prime minister.
The political reshuffle has exposed widening cracks inside the ruling Pastef movement, which swept to power in 2024 on promises of reform, anti-corruption measures and economic recovery.
Sonko remains one of Senegal’s most influential political figures, particularly among young people frustrated by unemployment and rising living costs.
The former prime minister had recently intensified criticism of President Faye’s handling of Senegal’s growing debt crisis, fuelling speculation that relations between the two allies had broken down beyond repair.
His move to parliament now places him in a strategic position that could complicate the president’s legislative agenda.
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Political analysts say Sonko’s new role as Speaker, considered the second most powerful office in Senegal’s political structure, gives him significant influence over parliamentary business and national debate.
The situation is further complicated by constitutional limits that prevent President Faye from dissolving parliament before November this year, meaning the president may have to govern alongside an increasingly assertive parliament led by his former ally.
Sonko’s political journey has remained extraordinary even by Senegalese standards.
Once imprisoned and barred from contesting the 2024 presidential election because of a defamation conviction, he instead backed Faye, helping propel him to victory and ending years of rule under former president Macky Sall.
But the partnership that brought Senegal’s new leadership to power now appears deeply fractured.
The latest developments are likely to raise fresh uncertainty in the West African nation at a time when the government is under pressure to stabilise the economy and reassure investors over mounting debt concerns.
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