In a bold statement, the Patriotes leader has intensified pressure on the President of Senegal to issue a decree formally setting the date for the upcoming local elections. Speaking to a large crowd in the heart of Ndiambour, Ousmane Sonko emphasized that the same presidential authority used to remove key officials must now be applied to finalize the electoral calendar.
« While removing Fadilou Keïta or Waly Diouf Bodiang falls within presidential prerogatives, so too does the power to set an election date through a simple decree, » Sonko asserted. His remarks followed the recent reshuffle that saw Waly Diouf Bodiang exit his position at the helm of the Port Autonome de Dakar, replaced by Doune Pathé Mbengue, as well as the uncertain fate of Fadilou Keïta at the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, despite his public refusal to step down.
Election date looms as experts warn of legal deadline
The urgency of the situation has grown, with electoral expert Djibril Gningue cautioning that the President now has only a few days left to act before the legal framework becomes unworkable. Sonko, who has maintained a firm stance against any postponement since launching his voter card distribution campaign in late July, reinforced his opposition, stressing that delays would only deepen political and institutional instability.
Institutional tensions escalate amid electoral uncertainty
The public call from the President of the National Assembly to the Head of State underscores the deepening divide between the executive and legislative branches. To date, no decree has been published by the presidency to convene the electoral body, leaving the country in a state of growing uncertainty as political actors dig in their heels over the timing of the vote.