Date: July 6, 2026 l By Kimberly White
Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye is moving to establish his own political party, according to a coalition backing him, in the clearest sign yet that his political break with former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko has hardened into a long-term power struggle at the top of the West African nation’s leadership.
The planned party formation marks a significant turning point in Senegalese politics, coming just weeks after Faye dismissed Sonko as prime minister following months of friction over governance, reform priorities and the country’s mounting debt crisis. Until now, Faye had remained a member of the ruling PASTEF party, which is led by Sonko and has dominated Senegal’s political landscape since their joint rise to power.
According to a statement from the pro-Faye coalition cited by Reuters, the president has instructed senior adviser Aminata Touré to create a task force responsible for laying the groundwork for the new party. The coalition said the initiative is intended to provide an “organic unity” around Faye’s political movement and consolidate support among his loyalists.
The development is the latest in a rapidly widening rift between the two men, once regarded as close allies and co-architects of Senegal’s political transformation. Faye, a former tax inspector, became president in 2024 as the candidate of PASTEF after Sonko was blocked from contesting the election. Sonko, the party’s charismatic founder, was then appointed prime minister and initially appeared to share power with Faye in a tightly linked political partnership.
That arrangement has since unravelled.
In May, Faye dismissed Sonko and dissolved the government, a dramatic move that exposed the depth of the disagreement between the two leaders and unsettled a country already grappling with economic strain and investor concerns over its debt position. Sonko was later elected speaker of the National Assembly, preserving his influence and creating a new institutional power centre from which he could challenge the president’s agenda.
Reuters reported that Sonko has been using his position in parliament to push constitutional reforms, including measures that would prevent a sitting president from simultaneously serving as leader of a political party. Such a reform would carry direct political implications for Faye as he seeks to build an independent base separate from Sonko’s control of PASTEF.
The decision to create a new party suggests Faye is no longer willing to operate within the political structure built around Sonko and is instead preparing for a more explicit contest over control of Senegal’s governing coalition and long-term political direction.
The split has major implications for the stability of the country’s government. PASTEF and its allies hold substantial parliamentary influence, and any prolonged confrontation between Faye and Sonko risks paralysing policymaking at a time when Senegal is under pressure to restore investor confidence, manage debt repayments and continue negotiations with international financial institutions.
The political rupture also represents a striking reversal of the alliance that brought both men to national power. Their partnership had been central to the anti-establishment movement that swept away Senegal’s previous leadership and promised a new era of reform, accountability and sovereignty-focused governance. But with Sonko now positioned as parliamentary speaker and Faye preparing a separate political machine, that shared project appears to be fragmenting.
Analysts are likely to view the creation of a Faye-led party as an attempt by the president to formalise his independence and avoid remaining politically subordinate to Sonko, whose personal influence over PASTEF and grassroots supporters remains strong. It may also be designed to rally local officials, coalition partners and state loyalists around the presidency rather than the party apparatus.
For Senegal, the move opens a new chapter in an already volatile political year. What began as tensions between a president and his prime minister has now evolved into a struggle over party identity, constitutional power and control of the post-election order. Whether Faye’s new party can emerge as a viable force without splintering the ruling bloc further may prove critical to the country’s political and economic trajectory in the months ahead.