Freshly reinstated as a member of parliament, Ousmane Sonko was elected Tuesday as the President of Senegal’s National Assembly following a vote that went overwhelmingly in his favour.
The high-profile election took place against a backdrop of sweeping institutional reshuffling across the country’s main state bodies. Supervised by the institution’s First Vice-President, Ismaïla Diallo, the ballot recorded 133 envelopes for 133 voters during a plenary session in Dakar.
Official results showed 132 votes in favour, zero against, one abstention, and no spoiled ballots, confirming Sonko’s swift ascension to the head of the parliamentary institution.
The landslide vote comes in the immediate wake of Sonko’s formal reinstatement as a member of parliament, which took place earlier during the very same plenary session. Upon entering the legislative chamber, he completed the required formalities to officially resume his mandate and received his parliamentary sash before joining the ranks of his parliamentary group, Pastef. This legislative transition was prompted by the resignation of outgoing National Assembly President Malick Ndiaye, which necessitated the convening of a plenary session specifically dedicated to electing a new parliamentary bureau.
According to the results proclaimed during the session, the entire voting process proceeded without incident and strictly in compliance with the parliament’s internal procedures. In accordance with Article 12 of the National Assembly’s rules of procedure, the newly elected president takes office immediately following the vote. This new institutional configuration for Senegal unfolds in parallel with the appointment of the new Prime Minister, Ahmadou Al Aminou Mohamed Lo, who has been tasked with leading government action in the continuity of public policies and the implementation of ongoing reforms initiated at the executive level.
AC/lb/abj/APA