Senegal’s president Diomaye Faye launches nationwide consultations while PM Sonko addresses lawmakers

From Dakar, our correspondent reports

In place of the annual May 28 dialogue day with civil society established by former President Macky Sall in 2016, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has announced plans to hold ten days of consultations with various groups, including NGOs, political parties, traditional leaders, and religious figures.

«This reflects his image as a consensus-builder,» notes Maurice Soundieck Dione, a political science professor at Gaston Berger University in Saint-Louis. While the president aims to make dialogue «his governance style,» these meetings also respond to opposition criticism regarding the controversial electoral law reform and recently announced constitutional changes.

Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko to address lawmakers

Almost simultaneously, the other head of government, Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, is set to address National Assembly members on Friday, May 22.

Though this fifth session of parliamentary questions is part of the official calendar, its timing raises questions. Analyst Assane Samb suggests «coordination between the two leaders would have been advisable» to avoid overlap. However, political analyst Maurice Soundieck Dione views this as a natural outcome of Senegal’s current «rival partners within the executive,» each vying «to assert their presence.»