Former Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko was elected president of the National Assembly with 132 votes out of 165, just three days after being dismissed from his post by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, further widening the rift between the two men.
His election, greeted by applause from an Assembly largely supportive of him, also marks his official return as a member of parliament. The vote was boycotted by the minority opposition. In his inaugural address, Ousmane Sonko promised to use all the levers of power.
This reinstatement to the National Assembly, however, has sparked considerable controversy in Senegal, with several voices questioning the legality of the procedure. On Monday, Aïssata Tall Sall, president of the parliamentary group of the main opposition coalition, denounced at a press conference an "institutional coup" in preparation, criticizing "the strong-arm tactics the majority wants to impose."
