Senegal: supreme court declines to rule on sonko’s deputy status

The emergency judge of Senegal’s Supreme Court has declined to rule on the legality of Ousmane Sonko’s reinstatement as a deputy, asserting that the matter falls under the exclusive jurisdiction of the parliamentary institution. The decision follows a petition filed by the Union nationale des indépendants du Sénégal, challenging the validity of the procedure that allowed the Pastef leader to reclaim his parliamentary seat prior to his election as President of the National Assembly.

This judicial development adds to an earlier ruling by the Constitutional Council, which also declined jurisdiction in June, citing that the contested act did not directly relate to the electoral process and thus lay outside its purview. Now, two separate high courts have abstained from adjudicating the merits of the opposition’s challenge to Sonko’s parliamentary return.

Reacting to the Supreme Court’s decision, lawyer Amadou Guèye condemned the ruling as a breach of legal order, echoing criticisms from opposition jurists and political figures. These voices have repeatedly warned of a jurisdictional void surrounding the case, while Sonko himself has framed the successive lawsuits as politically motivated attempts to undermine his position rather than legitimate legal challenges.

Though the emergency judge refused to intervene, the final verdict on the merits remains pending, prolonging legal uncertainty over the affair. The dispute continues to fuel tensions between Sonko’s parliamentary majority and a faction of the opposition, which has pursued multiple legal avenues without success to date.