The Front for the Defence of Democracy and the Republic (FDR) has criticised Ousmane Sonko’s presence in the National Assembly on Wednesday. In a statement released by its Conference of Leaders, the movement asserted that the Pastef leader is occupying a parliamentary seat “illegally and illegitimately.”
The FDR said it is mobilising nation’s “vital forces against the attempted parliamentary coup” by the ruling party. According to the Front, 147 political parties and movements signed a manifesto on 24th May denouncing this “outrage”.
The movement also welcomed the referral of the matter to the Constitutional Council by opposition members of parliament. FDR says its struggle is for democracy and the stabilisation of institutions. “It is directed solely against those who are intent on undermining the nation’s foundations and causing it to lose the essential elements of its democratic gains,” the text stated.
The Front pointed out that Article LO172 of the Electoral Code stipulates that a minister elected as a member of parliament loses his position within eight days if they do not resign from the government. However, according to the FDR, Pastef attempted to circumvent this principle by amending the National Assembly’s rules of procedure.
“The Constitution (Article 54), on this point, is surgically precise: to organise the return of a minister who was a member of parliament before becoming a member of the government — which is not the case for Mr Ousmane Sonko — an organic law is required, which should, logically, be inserted, like all provisions relating to the election of members of parliament, into the Electoral Code,” the FDR emphasised.
The movement denounced an attempt to conceal a provision of an organic law within the Assembly’s internal regulations, calling this manoeuvre “shameful.” The FDR asserted that this amendment completely violated the Electoral Code by addressing the issue of substitute members of parliament, whereas “Senegalese law only recognises lists of members of parliament and lists of substitute members elected by majority vote within the departmental jurisdiction or by proportional representation.:
“To achieve its objective, Pastef has trampled on the Constitution, the Electoral Code, and the National Assembly’s internal regulations,” the Front accused.
For the FDR, the National Assembly’s “illegal act must be imperatively overturned,” and Ousmane Sonko must be expelled from the chamber. “He cannot be a member of parliament,” the movement insisted, adding that the Pastef leader’s statement, attempting to link the parliamentary opposition’s referral to the Constitutional Council to a desire on the part of the President of the Republic to undermine him, “fools no one.”
“The Constitution of Senegal and its laws must be respected. There is no other way to safeguard our coexistence in peace and security. The continuation of our collective journey as a republic depends on it,” the FDR concludes.
PressAfrik
