The National Assembly of Senegal clarified on Friday the procedure leading to the Prime Minister’s General Policy Statement (GPS), following his announcement of his willingness to speak on September 1, 2026.
The Assembly acknowledged several points of confusion surrounding the process and the chosen dates.
In a press release issued on August 28, the Bureau of the National Assembly reiterated that, since the single ordinary session for 2025-2026 ended on June 30, Parliament can only convene to examine the GPS after being called in an extraordinary session by the head of state, in accordance with Article 63 of the Constitution and Article 7 of the Rules of Procedure.
This call was made by Decree No. 2026-1530, transmitted to the National Assembly on August 25, with an extraordinary session scheduled to begin on September 1, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., and with the
Prime Minister’s General Policy Statement as its sole item on the agenda.
The Bureau of the National Assembly emphasizes, however, that setting the precise date for the session dedicated to the General Policy Statement (DPG) is a separate procedure. It refers in
particular to Article 109 of Organic Law No. 2025-11 of August 18, 2025, concerning the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly, which stipulates that the National Assembly must be informed at least eight days before the chosen date.
According to Parliament, this formality falls to the president, not the prime minister.
It notes, in this regard, that no specific date was proposed by the head of state in the decree
convening the extraordinary session.
The National Assembly also clarifies that the eight-day period must be counted from the opening of the extraordinary session, not before.
Thus, September 1st will be devoted to opening the extraordinary session, verifying the quorum, and then adjourning the session. The next steps in the process will depend on a meeting of the Conference of Presidents, convened by the Speaker of the National Assembly.
This body will set the date for the plenary session dedicated to the General Policy Statement and determine the procedures for organising the debates, in accordance with Article 77 of the Rules of Procedure.
Through these clarifications, the Bureau of the National Assembly intends to clarify the respective roles of the executive and parliament in organizing this major step in Senegalese institutional life.
The statement indicates that these “confusions” concern, in particular, the approach, the powers of the various authorities, and the timeline for the General Policy Statement. The Bureau attributes
them to a “lack of understanding of parliamentary procedures on the part of the executive.”
The issue of the General Policy Statement arises in a particularly closely watched institutional context in Senegal, as this statement is intended to allow the PM to present to MPs the main directions of government action and the priorities of his mandate.
TE/Sf/fss/as/APA