Senegal’s Ousted Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko Elected as National Assembly Speaker.

In a dramatic political twist, Senegal’s National Assembly has elected Ousmane Sonko as its new president (speaker), just four days after President Bassirou Diomaye Faye dismissed him as Prime Minister. The unanimous vote on Tuesday deepens a growing rift between the two former allies who once jointly swept to power on an anti-establishment platform .

The election marks a stunning comeback for Sonko, who remains the undisputed leader of the ruling PASTEF party, which controls 130 of the 165 seats in parliament. Lawmakers voted 132 in favor, with one abstention and the opposition boycotting the proceedings .

Sonko’s ascent to the speaker’s chair was carefully orchestrated. The previous speaker, El Malick Ndiaye, a close Sonko ally, resigned on Sunday, ostensibly clearing the path for the former Prime Minister to reclaim his parliamentary mandate and immediately run for the leadership of the legislature .

As speaker, Sonko now controls the legislative agenda, can scrutinize government reforms, and holds significant powers of checks and balances over the executive branch. This positions him as a direct counterweight to President Faye, who appointed senior economist Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo as the new Prime Minister on Monday .