Following the resignation of El Malick Ndiaye as Speaker of the National Assembly, Tafsir Thioye, one of the drafters of the institution’s rules of procedure, argued that the plenary session scheduled for today is flawed and cannot legally take place.
The parliamentarian, speaking on Sen TV, cited Article 15 of the rules of procedure to support his position. This article stipulates that in the event of a vacancy in the post of speaker, whether due to resignation, permanent incapacity, or death, the first deputy speaker must convene the bureau, officially acknowledge the vacancy, inform the assembly, and then convene the conference of speakers. Only after this procedure can the assembly proceed with the election of a new president and resume its work.
According to Thioye, this procedural chain was not followed. The conference of speakers convened by El Malick Ndiaye before his resignation automatically became null and void due to his departure. A new meeting, convened according to the prescribed procedures, should have been initiated by the deputy speaker. This did not happen. Furthermore, the meeting was held on a public holiday, and the representative of the non-affiliated group, who should have participated, were absent.
Dakaractu
