Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye dissolved the opposition National Assembly to ease tensions between the legislative and executive branches of government.
In an address to the nation on Thursday, Faye announced that snap elections would be held on 17 November this year.
By virtue of the powers conferred on me by Article 87 of the Constitution, and after consulting the Constitutional Council on the right date, the Prime Minister and the President of the National Assembly, on the expediency, I dissolve the National Assembly.
The President stated that the opposition-dominated legislature made it difficult for him to carry out the “systemic transformation” he had promised during the election campaign.
Tensions between the executive and the legislature came to light recently when opposition legislators cancelled a debate on the budget and threatened to move a motion of censure against the government.
However, the Benno Bokk Yakaar parliamentary group criticised the dissolution, saying it was aimed at avoiding a motion to censure the cabinet. In a statement, the group accused Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko of “manipulating institutions to serve their own political interests.” Abdou Mbow, president of the majority parliamentary group, stated:
This dissolution is a blatant attempt to silence the parliamentary opposition and avoid any democratic debate on the management of the country.
