Four MPs from Ousman Sonko’s former opposition party, Pastef, including Birame Souleye Diop, abstained from voting on Macky Sall’s amnesty bill during a hearing before the Senegalese National Assembly’s Law Committee. This move has sparked serious questions about the true intentions of Ousman Sonko’s deputies.
During the hearing, only the Unity and Rally Party (Pur) and Taxawu Senegal of Khalifa Sall voted against the law, highlighting the political climate in the nation. This unexpected stance has surprised observers of the Senegalese political scene.
Of the two Senegalese Democratic Party (Pds) deputies serving on the commission, one cast a ballot while the other chose to abstain.
Birahim Seck, leader of the Senegalese Civil Forum, criticized the ex-Pastef MPs on social media, stating, “As ex-Pastef, your ambiguity on the amnesty bill does not differentiate you from the usual politicians. We will see in the plenary.”
Khalifa Sall’s Taxawu Senegal has mocked their former allies, Yewwi Askan Wi. “They were shouting from the rooftops that they were better than all the other politicians; today history has shown that posture to be false. The people of Pastef are politicians who have interests that are not necessarily those of the nation,” said an elected official and member of the “Khalifa President” coalition.
A Senegalese political analyst commented, “We are in politics, and in politics, nothing is impossible. The interests are not always the same, and so are the positions.”
Despite Pastef’s abstention, the measure was approved by the presidential majority and is scheduled for a vote in Wednesday’s plenary.
The amnesty bill, if adopted, will include everyone suspected of crimes committed between February 1, 2021, and February 25, 2024, who was arrested during protests or for political reasons, regardless of whether they have been prosecuted. However, the bill does not provide a list of names or addresses of those it targets.
Nonetheless, it appears from the bill’s language and the time frame it covers that Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Ousmane Sonko may stand to gain significantly from its hypothetical adoption.
