While rumours of tensions at the highest levels of government fuel public debate, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye sought to clarify the nature of his relationship with his prime minister, Ousmane Sonko. Speaking to the press, Faye rejected any notion of a crisis, describing a relationship structured around three dimensions: institutional, personal, and political. On the state level, he was unequivocal. “I am the president, he is the prime minister. He is doing his job properly, and so far I am satisfied. The day this satisfaction is no longer there, I will put Senegal first and look for someone else.”
Beyond the institutions, the president spoke of a longer-standing and more intimate relationship with Sonko, forged well before their rise to power. “It’s a relationship of acquaintance, almost familial which has weathered numerous trials together over the past ten years. If there are differences, we discuss them amongst ourselves, not externally.”
On the political level, President Faye reiterated that their commitment has always been built on a collective approach, emphasising that the Pastef party has never acted alone. From this perspective, the transition from a victorious electoral coalition to a governing coalition appears as a natural evolution. The president thus urged against over-interpreting the on-going political realignments. Ultimately, he said: “There is no crisis, and there will not be.”
Seneweb
