Since Abdou Diouf's inauguration in 1970, none of Senegal's fourteen previous heads of government has seemed as powerful as the current one. The Pastef leader has reinvented the office. Aided by a President of the Republic who clearly takes no offense.

In the privacy of his office at the Prime Minister's office, Ousmane Sonko made a confession to the Palestinian ambassador to Dakar, Nasser Jaddalah: he no longer watched international news channels because the images of the Israeli bombing of Gaza, broadcast on a loop, were "unbearable" to him . This compassion, shown between four walls to the Palestinian people, the Prime Minister would express publicly a few days later by participating in the pro-Palestinian demonstration during which he revealed the anecdote.

It was Friday, August 30, 2024, in Dakar. Sonko was dressed all in white: a simple boubou, without embroidery, and a hat. A call for peace or a subtle accentuation of the green-white-black-red scarf hanging from his neck? Perhaps both. The Palestinian flag adorns the front of the colorful fabric; the keffiyeh pattern occupies the back; the image of the Al Aqsa Mosque is depicted at the ends, and the phrase "Jerusalem, capital of Palestine," in Arabic, is affixed to both sides.

Right in front of the lectern, Sonko delivers a stern indictment to his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu. "We have a Prime Minister whose power depends on this war, and who is ready to walk over thousands of corpses to stay [in his post] and not face the justice of his country ," he asserts in a calm, monotonous voice that contrasts with the nervousness of the charge . We must bring together all those who denounce this injustice, work towards a political solution that is a solution to isolate the State of Israel."

Surprising for a Senegalese official of this rank. Especially since, at the beginning of his speech, the head of government indicated that he was taking part in the demonstration with the blessing of the President of the Republic. Although Senegal has chaired the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People for 50 years, Dakar has never gone so far publicly against Israel.

After Netanyahu, Macron…

On Monday, January 6, 2025, Sonko struck again against a foreign leader. His new target: Emmanuel Macron. He criticized the French President, in particular, for having suggested that the withdrawal of French troops from Africa had been the subject of prior consultations between Paris and the capitals concerned. "I would like to say that, in the case of Senegal, this statement is completely erroneous ," he denied on X (ex-Twitter) . "No discussions or negotiations have taken place to date and the decision taken by Senegal [departure for 2025, announced by President Diomaye Faye in his New Year's message] stems from its sole will, as a free, independent and sovereign country."

The government's official communication channels are thus once again being sidelined. Along with diplomatic and precedence rules. A mistake, in the opinion of opposition leader and former head of government Abdoul Mbaye. "I appreciated PM [Prime Minister] Sonko's response to Macron's clumsy remarks ," conceded the president of the Alliance for Citizenship and Work (ACT) on Facebook. Before adding: "However, he should learn to consider foreign affairs as the exclusive domain of the head of state. These foreign issues should be addressed, at least collectively, through official statements rather than personal posts."

Political analyst and editor of the daily newspaper Yoor Yoor , Serigne Saliou Guèye, prefers to see the glass half full. He says: "We had to respond immediately. And on this subject, Sonko's voice was better placed to have the resonance it did on this subject: more than 4 million people consulted his speech in response to Macron."

French journalist Edwy Plenel is one of the latter. On X, the co-founder of Mediapart, reposting the post, applauded a "scathing and pertinent response" and regretted that under Macron, "the decline of France in domestic politics is accompanied by a collapse in foreign policy . "

“The alpha and omega of the Pastef State”

Times have changed. From Léopold Senghor to Macky Sall, including Abdou Diouf and Abdoulaye Wade, the scope of presidential prerogatives has always raised the hackles of advocates of a perfect balance between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Limiting them is among the key institutional reforms advocated in the Charter for Democratic Governance of the National Assembly—a citizens' initiative launched in 2008 that brought together political parties, members of civil society, experts, and independent figures. But with the accession of Diomaye Faye to the highest office, it is the powers of the Prime Minister that are now under debate.

It is that with Sonko, the incumbent of the post is no longer just a fuse, an ordinary variable gravitating around the President of the Republic, "the only constant." He has become a man of influence, action and decision. "Diomaye [ Faye ] was elected [ President of the Republic ], but the most powerful man, everyone knows that it is Ousmane Sonko. That is what is extraordinary ," enthuses the Ivorian reggae singer Tiken Jah Fakoly with a broad smile in an interview given to a web TV.

The secretary general of the Democratic League (LD, opposition) is not amused. "Ousmane Sonko wants to say that he is the messiah that everyone was waiting for," Nicolas Ndiaye blasted in the daily newspaper Les Échos (22/01/2025). "He thinks he can solve all the problems, he takes all the prerogatives for himself. It's a monumental mistake and he will learn it the hard way." In the columns of the same newspaper, the day before, Babacar Gaye, leader of the " Mankoo Mucc " movement (opposition), said the same thing, in his own way: "Ousmane Sonko is the alpha and omega of the Pastef State that is finally being put in place."

Moubarack Lô objects. "In the management of the State, it is the concept of duo that best characterizes the reality today. Since it is Ousmane Sonko who is carrying the Project, he must function with the President as one man, while respecting the institutional architecture ," defends the man who was technical advisor to four Prime Ministers (Habib Thiam, Mamadou Lamine Loum, Moustapha Niasse and Mahammad Dionne), director of the defunct Economic Prospective Office (BPE) of the Prime Minister's Office and deputy chief of staff of President Macky Sall.

Our interlocutor continues: "There's nothing to prevent them from consulting each other on decisions and the President of the Republic from granting them considerable leeway. Politics is not the same as law. The law can be respected, with considerable leeway at the political and practical levels."

Political legitimacy

The President of the Republic appoints the Prime Minister. He can dismiss him at will, as authorized by the Constitution. But Sonko can claim an undeniable legitimacy that limits, or even nullifies, the power of life and death that the head of state is supposed to exercise over him.

President of Pastef since the party's creation in January 2014, the Patriote en chef led his camp to power after a long, trying and bloody struggle against the Macky Sall regime, paying a high price for his commitment (disbarment from the civil service, imprisonment, etc.). Diomaye Faye became President thanks to him. He made him nominate himself for the presidential election of March 24, 2024 after his removal from the electoral lists following his conviction for defamation. He actively campaigned alongside him, putting his name and image on the scales - " Diomaye moy Sonko, Sonko moy Diomaye " was their campaign slogan - until the clear victory (54.28%) in the first round.

Sonko then took the helm of the Pastef coalition for the next legislative elections. A winning bet: his list won 130 of the 165 seats in the National Assembly. A resounding success. The path to the presidency was clear for him, but he chose to remain Prime Minister in order, he explains, to continue alongside the Head of State the mission he began since his appointment on April 2, 2024.

These records lead Mubarak Lô to say that "Sonko is not an ordinary Prime Minister ." That it is up to him to "take matters in hand and transform the commitments of the President of the Republic into tangible and concrete realities."

The person concerned does not need to be asked twice to "take matters in hand" . He is said to have carved out a cabinet resembling a "parallel government" where each minister in the official team would have his "clone". In the new decree on the distribution of state services, he inherits around thirty entities, including four which, under Macky Sall, were attached to the Presidency. These are the Commission for the Evaluation and Monitoring of Public Policies and Programs; the Monitoring and Coordination Office; the National Agency for the Revival of Activities in Casamance and the Support Fund for Monitoring Projects and Programs, formerly the Support Fund for Monitoring the Emerging Senegal Plan (PSE).

That's not all. Sonko isn't hesitant to cement his prerogatives. Capital expenditures, previously subject to approval by the Minister of Finance and Budget, now go through him. Travel restrictions for government members and civil servants are his responsibility. The recent cancellations of land allocations between Thiès, Dakar, and Saint-Louis are also responsible. Just like the suspension of numerous construction sites on the Corniche-Ouest at the beginning of Diomaye Faye's presidency. The list is not exhaustive.

With so much power, is the head of government stifling the President of the Republic? Some opposition voices swear yes. False, replies the government. "The power of the Prime Minister in no way hinders or impedes that of the Head of State ," Serigne Saliou Guèye states formally . Moreover, the latter has even promised to strengthen the prerogatives of the 'PM' [Prime Minister], certainly on the basis of constitutional reform. Sonko must make his mark. And he does so with the President's confidence."

The President of the Republic is even looking further ahead. Speaking to the press shortly after his inauguration, he declared his wish to see his Prime Minister occupy the presidential chair. This statement offended MP Thierno Alassane Sall; the president of the Republic of Values (opposition) saw it as promoting "a two-headed power and personal loyalty ." A state of mind "hardly in line with a real desire for change," he insisted.

Homeland or Party?

Between Diomaye Faye and Ousmane Sonko, the understanding thus seems perfect. The only dissonance between them so far displayed in the public arena concerned the appointment of the mayor of Ndoffane, Samba Ndiaye, to the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors (PCA) of SN HLM. A former leader of the Alliance for the Republic (APR), the latter joined the Diomaye-President coalition before the presidential election of March 24, 2024. Pastef activists had called for his departure, recalling his past as a critic of their leader before his change of heart. A petition to this effect had collected 25,000 signatures.

To calm the petitioners' anger, Sonko had assured them that a correction would be made. This was not to be. During a press conference intended as a clarification to his supporters, President Faye took the opposite view of his Prime Minister by announcing that he would not reverse his decision. He kept his word, even though Samba Ndiaye is still waiting for the decree allowing him to resume his role as Chairman of the Board of Directors.

The head of state remained unmoved when some Patriots later castigated the co-option of Aoua Bocar Ly Tall to the National Audiovisual Regulatory Council (CNRA). According to her critics, the latter was guilty of dragging Sonko through the mud at the time of the Adji Sarr affair.

Regarding the appointments of former figures of the "system" or non-Pastef, the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister are walking a fine line. Openness to all skills in the conduct of the country's affairs or management between Patriots and allies? The homeland before the party or the other way around? "Initially," breathes an expert on the ruling party, "it was Sonko who was in favor of openness to all the human resources available to the country, regardless of political factions; Diomaye was reluctant . But things have evolved: since he wants results at the end of his term, the President has finally changed his position." Illustration: the general director of a strategic public entity was contacted by telephone by Diomaye Faye himself. At the end of the line, the President of the Republic offered her the position she currently holds, even though she has always shown a deep aversion to "Pastef, its leaders and their cavalier opposition methods . "

Landmark year

Aside from the episode surrounding Samba Ndiaye's appointment, which seemed to be more of a communication error than a profound divergence likely to undermine the understanding between the two men, Diomaye Faye and Ousmane Sonko appear to be in sync in the face of the many challenges facing them. The coming months will provide a better picture of their apparent understanding and, above all, the effectiveness of their Project.

2025 marks the launch of the National Development Strategy (NDS). The start of the implementation of this five-year plan (2025-2029), resulting from the new public policy framework, "Senegal 2050: National Transformation Agenda", will be closely scrutinized. "In a full year, after the first period when it was necessary to take control of the country, organize the State, place its men and women in key positions, it is time for action , hopes Moubarack Lô .   Beyond accountability, there are, above all, reforms that need to be carried out to transform people's lives and enable them to have a better existence. We should be able to feel a more diversified economy, in terms of investment choices and state-supported policies. We should feel better programs regarding territorial equity so that every part of the country feels the effects of development. We should feel better governance in all areas, an end to scandals..."

The task promises to be complicated. Especially since the Court of Auditors' report published last February revealed a public debt and budget deficit that were significantly underestimated by the Macky Sall regime. The revelation of the manipulation of these macroeconomic indicators prompted the rating agencies Moody's and Standard & Poor's to downgrade Senegal's rating twice, since October 2024. It caused the country's dollar-denominated bonds to plummet and led to the suspension of financing from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

And to make matters worse, the new President of the United States, Donald Trump, has frozen his country's public aid for 90 days. Dakar recently obtained a waiver from the State Department to continue the " Senegal Power Compact ," dedicated to the electricity sector, until the end of the suspension period on April 20. Only a reprieve.

With narrow budgetary margins and emergencies at every level, the Prime Minister is under pressure. He acknowledges that the economic climate is unfavorable, but swears that the challenge is achievable. He calls on the Senegalese to tighten their belts, convinced that this is a necessary step toward a brighter future. He promises to restore the sincerity of public accounts and ensure their proper management. He has initiated a reduction in the state's standard of living. Announced an evaluation of subsidies and tax exemptions. Concluded a social truce with the unions and initiated consultations with the private sector. In addition, his government is increasing contacts with international financial partners to reassure them of the country's reliability.

Sonko will have to act quickly and effectively, without losing sight of the need to undertake the systemic reforms essential for a "sovereign, just, and prosperous Senegal" in the medium and long terms. This is the ultimate goal of the project that President Diomaye Faye supports in theory but whose success he is, in practice, the guarantor of.