Sénégal: Ousmane Sonko warns opponents after re-election as Pastef leader

Ousmane Sonko, president of Senegal’s National Assembly and former prime minister, was overwhelmingly re-elected on Saturday as head of his party, Pastef. This political victory quickly served as a warning to his political opponents amid the ongoing political crisis in Sénégal.

Delegates from national sections and the diaspora gathered in Diamniadio, near Dakar, for the party’s first congress.

At the helm of Pastef since its creation in 2014, Sonko retains his position for a new six-year term.

“I measure the weight of this responsibility because Pastef is not an ordinary party in the Senegalese landscape,” he said from the podium after his election.

“Revolutions can be diverted, absorbed or emptied of their content if they are not equipped with a clear doctrine or an organization capable of ensuring lasting change. That is why this congress is historic, two years after we acceded to the highest responsibilities,” he added.

President Bassirou Diomaye Faye won the presidency with Pastef’s support in 2024, after Sonko was barred from the presidential race.

After months of tensions, Faye dismissed Sonko as prime minister on May 22.

Sonko was elected president of the National Assembly a few days later.

Before Pastef delegates, Sonko warned against attempts to “sabotage” his party’s political project.

“No sabotage project of this revolution will succeed because the people, standing alongside Pastef, will provide the necessary guarantees so that we can finally liberate our country,” he warned.

Pastef’s leadership boycotted the government appointed Monday by Faye, despite some party members being included in the new cabinet list.

Pastef holds 130 of 165 seats in the National Assembly and can at any time file a motion of censure to overthrow the government.

Faye can form a new government after a censure and can dissolve the National Assembly starting November 2026.