Constitutional Council: How Bassirou Diomaye Faye Short-Circuited Ousmane Sonko

The President of the Republic filed a request with the Constitutional Council during a plenary session to suspend the examination of Pastef's proposed law on the Petroleum Code at the National Assembly. This procedural move halted the legislative process just as deputies, mostly supportive of Pastef, were about to vote, preventing Ousmane Sonko's party from advancing its reform. The proposal aimed to require parliamentary approval of oil contracts before they were signed, increasing legislative oversight over the strategic oil and gas sector. By taking this legal route, the government shifted the conflict to a judicial arena to limit the influence of the parliamentary majority amid intense political rivalry.