Ousted Senegalese PM Seizes Legislature, Threatens IMF Recovery Plan

Senegal's political rupture deepened when Ousmane Sonko, fired as Prime Minister on May 23, 2026, was elected National Assembly Speaker three days later. Now controlling the legislature, Sonko can obstruct legislation President Bassirou Diomaye Faye needs to restart the $1.8 billion IMF programme suspended over hidden debt claims. The split executive-legislative dynamic complicates negotiations with creditors already pricing sovereign risk at record highs.