Gambiaj.com – (DAKAR, Senegal) – Senegal’s ruling political movement is facing a fresh wave of defections as several senior members of the African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics, and Fraternity (PASTEF) have resigned to join the camp of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.
The resignations come just days before President Diomaye is expected to officially unveil his new political party during a founding assembly scheduled for Saturday, July 25, in Dakar. The event marks another milestone in the political split between the president and his former ally, Ousmane Sonko, who now serves as Speaker of the National Assembly after being dismissed as prime minister in May.
Among the most prominent figures to leave PASTEF is Dr. El Hadji Mansour Diop, Director General of Aristide Le Dantec Hospital. In an open letter, he criticized what he described as a “clan-based management” of the party by individuals close to Sonko.
Several leaders of the Jeunesse Patriotique Sénégalaise, the party’s youth wing, also announced their resignations.
They include Bakary Bass Sakho and Ousmane Sonko Jr., who until recently served as the youth movement’s national vice-coordinator.
Another senior PASTEF official, Lansana Gagny Sakho, chairman of the board of the national investment promotion agency APIX, has publicly declared his support for President Diomaye. Although he has not formally resigned from PASTEF, his stance is widely seen as further evidence of growing divisions within the party.
Political realignment gathers pace
The latest departures highlight the rapid political realignment unfolding in Senegal following the breakdown of the relationship between President Diomaye and Ousmane Sonko, once considered his political mentor.
Since Sonko’s dismissal as prime minister on May 22, President Diomaye has moved ahead with plans to establish his own political platform. Saturday’s general assembly at the King Fahd Palace is expected to formally launch the new party, with the president set to assume its leadership and reveal its official name.
Despite the high-profile resignations, PASTEF has sought to play down their significance. The party says it remains focused on expanding its grassroots support through a nationwide membership drive aimed at recruiting one million members.
The political fallout between the country’s two most influential leaders has reshaped Senegal’s governing landscape in recent months.
While Sonko lost the premiership, he quickly returned to the center of power by securing the presidency of the National Assembly on May 26, backed by PASTEF’s parliamentary majority.
The launch of President Diomaye’s new party is expected to further redefine Senegal’s political landscape, with attention now turning to whether more ruling party officials will follow the growing number of defectors in the days ahead.
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