Senegal PM says party could quit government if president diverges from vision
In Dakar on March 2, Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko said he would take his Pastef party out of government and back into opposition if President Bassirou Diomaye Faye departs from the party’s vision, a development that could deepen senegal’s stalled negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.
Sonko’s public warning and live broadcast comments in Dakar
Speaking in a live broadcast on Sunday, Ousmane Sonko framed the relationship with Bassirou Diomaye Faye as contingent on alignment with the party. Sonko said the "debate" would be moot "if the president is aligned with his party" and described the current arrangement as a "soft power-sharing" situation if the president is not aligned. He added that they would "manage our differences accordingly, and we would also seek common ground to move forward together. "
PASTEF leadership, majority in parliament and exit options
Sonko, who leads the Pastef party that holds a majority in parliament, said a clearer break would leave the government facing either a "more difficult cohabitation" or a reversion of Pastef to an opposition party. "Pastef has no problem with either of these options, " he said, outlining the binary choices under consideration by the party he heads.
Financial backdrop in Senegal: IMF freeze, $1. 8 billion programme and misreported debts
The IMF froze a $1. 8 billion lending programme in 2024 after Sonko’s government uncovered misreported debts by the previous administration estimated at more than $11 billion. Long, drawn-out talks with the Fund have left senegal battling to raise cash and negotiate a new programme, and any suggestion of discord risks further delays in those negotiations.
Roots of the political rift: 2024 election, conviction and Faye’s rise
Sonko was a popular opponent under the previous administration but was barred from running in the 2024 presidential election because of a legal conviction. He selected the little-known Bassirou Diomaye Faye, described as a longtime aide and Pastef member, as his replacement candidate; after Faye won, Faye appointed Sonko as prime minister. That sequence now frames the tensions between the two men.
Internal disagreements, party rules and Sonko’s appeal to members
As president of PASTEF, Sonko sought to downplay a break, saying recent misunderstandings should be resolved inside party structures. "We have a difficult past. We fought this regime until we came to power, " he said, and warned that "power changes many things. If you haven’t prepared for it, it’s difficult. Power comes with temptation. " He acknowledged that "when you reach positions of responsibility, there can be conflicting opinions" and that disagreements exist both politically and over management of the project championed by their camp. "Yes, both exist. That's why we need to discuss them within the party, " he said, stressing that the party’s charter, rules and internal mechanisms must be respected. Sonko said PASTEF remains "the main, strongest, and most structured party in Senegal, " a status he said is confirmed by the latest election results, and added that "the party will do justice and take responsibility. It will not chase after anyone, regardless of their status. Not even if it were me. " He also blamed some supporters for sustaining controversy: "sometimes, it is the party members who continue to fuel the debates. "
