Gambiaj.com – (DAKAR, Senegal) – Senegal’s National Assembly on Monday, August 17, 2026, adopted a bill seeking to amend Article 37 of the Constitution to strengthen transparency requirements for the country’s top political officeholders.
The amendment was approved after the government introduced changes requiring the public disclosure of asset declarations by not only the President of the Republic, but also the President of the National Assembly and the Prime Minister.
Justice Minister and Keeper of the Seals, Me Moussa Sarr, told lawmakers during the debate that President Bassirou Diomaye Faye had decided to submit the constitutional revision to a referendum, in accordance with Article 103 of the Constitution.
Sarr said the President communicated the decision in a letter addressed to the President of the National Assembly on July 30, 2026.
Government expands scope of asset disclosure
The amendment followed an earlier examination of the original bill, which had been backed by National Assembly President Ousmane Sonko and his PASTEF parliamentary majority.
Under the initial proposal, the publication of an asset declaration would have applied only to the President of the Republic.
The government, however, proposed amendments extending the constitutional requirement to the President of the National Assembly and the Prime Minister. The changes were subsequently incorporated into the text adopted by parliament.
The government argued that it would be inconsistent for the three principal officeholders at the summit of the executive and legislative branches to be subject to different levels of legal protection and transparency requirements.
The President of the National Assembly and the Prime Minister are already required to declare their assets under legislation governing Senegal’s National Office for the Fight Against Fraud and Corruption (OFNAC).
The proposed constitutional amendment would give that obligation a higher legal status, making it less vulnerable to changes in ordinary legislation.
According to the government’s argument before lawmakers, the reform would transform transparency from merely a statutory obligation into a constitutional principle of accountability applicable to the highest levels of state.
Asset declaration before presidential election
The proposed reform goes beyond the three top state officials.
President Faye’s government also wants candidates in presidential elections to submit an asset declaration as part of their official candidacy documents.
Under the proposal, the declaration would be made public before the election, allowing voters to have access to information about the financial interests and assets of candidates before casting their ballots.
For a candidate who wins the election, the declaration could also serve as the declaration required upon taking office, thereby reducing the duplication of procedures.
The government intends to establish the requirement through both a constitutional amendment and changes to the Electoral Code.
Failure to submit the required asset declaration would, under the proposal, result in the candidate’s application being declared inadmissible.
The President also wants the public disclosure requirement extended to all persons currently subject to asset declaration rules, or, at a minimum, to the President of the National Assembly and the Prime Minister.
Debate over Article 37
The government’s decision to use Article 37 as the vehicle for the reform has also attracted debate.
Critics questioned whether an article primarily dealing with the President of the Republic was the appropriate constitutional provision for introducing obligations involving other institutions.
Justice Minister Sarr defended the choice, citing constitutional drafting principles, technical considerations and the need to maintain clarity and coherence within the Constitution.
The government maintains that the reform is part of a broader effort to institutionalize transparency at the highest levels of public office.
With parliament having approved the bill, the proposed constitutional revision will now proceed towards the referendum announced by President Faye.
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