The game is shifting in Dakar. Senegalese lawmakers are pushing a constitutional bill to strip the presidency of key powers. This is not a whisper campaign. It is a direct challenge.
The proposed changes would curb the president’s ability to dissolve parliament and limit control over the judiciary. Sources inside the national assembly tell me this is a response to growing fears of executive overreach. President Macky Sall’s camp is furious. They see it as a power grab by the opposition.
But the opposition has momentum. Recent by-elections showed a swing against the ruling coalition. MPs sense blood. The bill is expected to pass its first reading. The real fight will be in the Senate, where Sall still holds a narrow majority.
This is classic West African politics: a president facing term-limit rumours, a restless parliament, and a population tired of broken promises. The streets are quiet for now. But the lobbies are not.
I am told the bill’s backers are already counting votes. They need 60 per cent in the lower house. They think they have it. If they do, Sall will be forced to either sign or veto. A veto would spark mass protests. The opposition is betting he blinks.
Behind the scenes, diplomats are nervy. France is watching. The US embassy has been unusually quiet. That silence speaks volumes.
This is a story about power. The old guard versus the new. And right now, the new guard has the pen.
