With a president who owes his success to his mentor-turned-prime minister Ousmane Sonko, Senegal’s political situation was unusual even before last weekend’s snap parliamentary polls.Now, a projected legislative landslide masterminded by the highly influential and charismatic Sonko has amplified questions over what leadership role he should take in the West African country.Sonko propelled President Bassirou Diomaye Faye to the top job in March after his own bid to run was blocked by the former authorities.The success of Sonko’s parliamentary campaign has sparked speculation over whether he should now step down as prime minister to preside over the national assembly in the interests of institutional balance.Sonko, who for many embodies a radical break with Senegal’s past, “can promote parliamentary power, which is one of the major mechanisms for transforming society”, wrote prominent civil society figure Alioune Tine, in an opinion piece published on social media.To “contribute to the balance of power, he must occupy the presidency of parliament”, he added.After three years fighting against the former authorities, Sonko and Faye have formed a notable team at the top of Senegalese politics since sweeping to power eight months ago.Faye is the first to admit that he would not be where he is if Sonko had not pushed him forward when his own candidacy was ruled out.The pair share tasks –- Faye takes on foreign policy, while Sonko handles internal affairs.Their Pastef party’s projected majority in the legislative elections has “definitively established Sonko’s leadership”, said El Hadji Mamadou Mbaye, a political science lecturer and researcher at the University of Saint-Louis.Even more than before, Faye “only has the legitimacy of being president thanks to Sonko”, he added.Sonko’s prominence raises questions over how the political system would cope if a time came when he and Faye were no longer on the same wavelength.A 1962 showdown between Senegal’s first president Leopold Sedar Senghor and his prime minister resulted in the head of government being sentenced to life imprisonment.- ‘Unprecedented’ -Ismaila Madior Fall, a fierce opponent of Sonko and former justice minister, wrote on social media that it was “unprecedented” that “the person who is favoured by the voters” was not at the helm. He added it was “an incongruity that needs to be corrected as a matter of urgency”.Political science professor Maurice Soudieck Dione said that Sonko should move over to the parliament so that Senegal wasn’t governed by two people simultaneously.He envisaged that a “technocrat” prime minister could be appointed in Sonko’s place.As the president of the national assembly, Sonko would be the first-in-line in the event of incapacity or death of the president.This would fit with his Pastef party’s position, which denounces overarching presidential powers in Senegalese politics.By moving to the legislature, Sonko could also safeguard a possible 2029 presidential bid, Dione said.As prime minister, “he is under heavy attack, he cannot play the role of fuse, he is the essential element of the system”, which is an institutional problem, he added.But both Mbaye and Dione expressed doubts that Sonko would leave a position “where he controls the politics of the nation”.The prime minister himself remained evasive when questioned on the topic ahead of the elections by local broadcaster Walf TV.”It is the MPs who will choose… that will be another debate when the time comes,” he said.
