Senegal's Faye plans to form his own political party

Faye has instructed senior adviser Aminata Toure to establish a ​task force charged with creating the party, ​said a statement from the pro-Faye coalition issued ⁠late on Friday.

Faye has until now been a ​member of the ruling Pastef party, led by Ousmane ​Sonko, who was prime minister until Faye ousted him in May, capping months of tensions between the two leaders.

Sonko has ​since become speaker of the National Assembly, where ​he has been pushing for constitutional reforms that would, among ‌other ⁠things, bar a sitting president from serving as leader of a political party.

Lawmakers voted in favour of the changes last week, but Faye has decided to put ​them to ​a referendum. ⁠It is unclear when the referendum will take place.

The political upheaval is unfolding ​as Senegal struggles to grapple with a ​crisis ⁠stemming from the revelation of misreported debt under the previous government.

Both Faye and Sonko are preparing for local ⁠elections ​scheduled for 2027 that will ​show how much support each of them has across the country.