Senegal: Sonko’s party refuses to join the new government of Diomaye Faye.

A turn of events on the Senegalese political scene. The Pastef-Les Patriotes party, led by Ousmane Sonko, announced that it will not be part of the next government to be established by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.

The information was made public by Ousmane Sonko in a message posted on his Facebook page this Monday, June 1, 2026. The president of the National Assembly explains that his party had several discussions with the head of state as part of consultations regarding the formation of the new government team.

According to him, these efforts were « in a spirit of responsibility and in accordance with the commitments of the Party’s Executive Committee (COMEX) ». A lengthy discussion specifically took place between the two main figures of the Senegalese executive.

However, the discussions did not lead to an agreement. Ousmane Sonko states that « while convergences were indeed confirmed, there were also, and above all, points of disagreement, particularly regarding the place and role of the majority in the executive framework ».

The leader of Pastef also clarifies that his party has no visibility on the architecture of the future government. After consulting with its governing bodies, new proposals were submitted to the President of the Republic, but these did not receive a favorable response.

In light of this situation, Pastef has decided to withdraw from the governmental process. « As a result, Pastef will not participate in the next government and will not be represented by any minister », declared Ousmane Sonko.

This decision marks a new phase in the relations between Bassirou Diomaye Faye and his former Prime Minister, now the president of the National Assembly. Although the two men have long jointly promoted the political project of Pastef, the divergences mentioned by the party reveal disagreements over the modalities of exercising power at the top of the state.

Despite this refusal to participate in the government, Pastef adopted a conciliatory tone towards the future ministerial team. « We wish the new team every success », concluded Ousmane Sonko, also announcing that more explanations will be provided in the coming days.

This position is likely to reshuffle the cards of the presidential majority and will be closely monitored by observers of Senegalese political life, as the country now awaits the official announcement of the new government’s composition.