Senegal PM calls for dialogue after opposition rejects budget

A 2026 revised budget bill is scheduled to come before the west African nation's National Assembly on Tuesday, but was rejected last week in a legislative finance committee by members of the Pastef political party.

Pastef controls 130 of Parliament's 165 seats, and its charismatic leader, Ousmane Sonko, who is also speaker of the National Assembly, is in a long-running feud with the nation's president.

At stake is Senegal's ability to get a grip on its public-sector debt, which was estimated at 132 percent of GDP at the end of 2024.

Last month the International Monetary Fund announced a staff-level agreement with Senegal on a new 36-month, $2.2 billion debt programme aimed at stabilising the country's public finances.

But the IMF has yet to announce executive board approval, and the bailout is subject to certain conditions.

Speaking at a press conference in Dakar Sunday, Prime Minister Ahmadou Al Aminou Mohamed Lo challenged Sonko to make his budgetary demands known ahead of the legislative session.

"Present your amendments, do not punish the people", he told the party leader, while promising to circumvent him if necessary.

"If a deadlock were to persist, we will make use of all the constitutional tools at our disposal. Let us not lose hope that we might reach an understanding tomorrow", he said.

Even before the legislative committee rejection, Sonko had vowed his party would not accept the 2026 revised finance bill, nor a separate 2027 draft budget.

Pastef said in a statement late Friday that it was not rejecting "the necessity of revising the budget", but had "disagreements regarding specific budgetary trade-offs, chosen financing methods and insufficient guarantees provided to Parliament".

Sonko is Senegal's former prime minister but was fired by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye in May. The two are erstwhile allies, whose relationship soured in part over how to tackle the massive debt.

In its statement, Pastef said it remained "open to dialogue with the government ahead of the plenary session, with the aim of reaching an agreement".

Lo emphasized Sunday that the two sides "are not enemies. We are not adversaries. The executive and the legislative branches must engage in dialogue. As head of government, I am extending my hand".