Ousmane Sonko accuses president Diomaye Faye of constitutional ‘manipulation’

Following the National Assembly’s approval of the proposed constitutional amendment, Ousmane Sonko meticulously recounted the journey of this reform. He then directly accused the head of state, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, of being responsible for the controversies that have engulfed the document. “Should any tampering have occurred, it originated with the President of the Republic,” Sonko declared emphatically. “He scrutinized the text, selecting what served his interests and discarding what did not. The Constitution, after all, is not the personal property of Bassirou Diomaye Faye.”

Sonko, serving as President of the National Assembly, elaborated on his critique by highlighting specific articles he believes President Diomaye Faye improperly removed. These included crucial stipulations such as the mandatory declaration of assets at the conclusion of a presidential term and the prohibition for the Head of State to simultaneously lead a political party. He then challenged the very premise of such actions, asserting, “By what authority does one individual selectively choose which constitutional provisions are convenient and which are not? Such an approach is utterly unacceptable.”

Furthermore, Ousmane Sonko underscored the fundamental hierarchy within constitutional governance, firmly stating that the President of the Republic does not hold the authority of a constituent power. “The President is not the constituent power,” Sonko clarified. “The derived constituent power resides with the National Assembly, while the original constituent power belongs to the people, exercised when they are called upon through a referendum.”