Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko presents a government which gives pride of place to the executives of his party

A government of “breakup”. This is how the Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko presented, Friday April 5 in the evening, his new tight team, made up of 25 ministers and five secretaries of state, almost half of whom come from the ranks of his movement, the African Patriots of Senegal for work, ethics and fraternity (Pastef). “It is a government which embodies the project, a systemic transformation acclaimed by the Senegalese people on March 24, 2024 through a first round election with 54.28% of the votes” of Bassirou Diomaye Faye, declared Ousmane Sonko about the elected president.

The main surprise comes from the appointment of two soldiers to sovereign positions: General Birame Diop, former chief of staff, was placed at the head of the armed forces, and General Jean-Baptiste Tine, former senior commander of the national gendarmerie, inside. “The military are not political, they are above the fray”, estimates analyst Abdou Khadre Lô, for whom these appointments reflect the desire of the new power to entrust key ministries to personalities embodying a form of political neutrality. Like, in 2000, when a general was appointed to the Ministry of the Interior to organize the presidential election which led to the first alternation in Senegal.

Also supposed to carry less partisan sovereign power than during Macky Sall’s last mandate, the new Minister of Justice, Ousmane Diagne, is a former prosecutor general at the Dakar Court of Appeal, known for his seriousness.

“Not really sharing the cake”

In addition to these appointments, an important place is given to executives from Pastef, a party created in 2014 which has never yet held power. In total, thirteen members of the government come from the movement, including several heavyweights. Among them, Birame Souleye Diop, who has chaired the parliamentary group of the main opposition coalition, Yewwi Askan Wi, since September 2022, was appointed to the Ministry of Energy, Oil and Mines. A strategic position as Senegal prepares to become, in 2024, a hydrocarbon producing country.

Yacine Fall, vice-president of Pastef in charge of international relations who worked at the United Nations, inherits the ministry of African integration and foreign affairs. She is one of four women in this very masculine executive. There were between seven and eight in previous governments.

“There’s no real sharing of the cake. Many historical actors of Pastef are not in the government. Neither do certain allies, such as former Prime Minister Aminata Touré or Dean Habib Sy, who campaigned in favor of Bassirou Diomaye Faye.points out Abdou Khadre Lô, who considers that it is a “real breakup”.

Some survivors of the previous mandate have nevertheless found their place within the government, such as Serigne Guèye Diop, minister of industry and trade, who was a close advisor to Macky Sall. On the evening of his inauguration, Bassirou Diomaye Faye also chose as chief of staff Mary Teuw Niane, a former minister of education who joined the opposition in 2019.

Limited risk taking

Secretary General of the Presidency under the previous mandate, Oumar Samba Ba, was reappointed. “We made this choice to ensure the continuity of the State. Since the first president Léopold Sédar Senghor, senior civil servants, not included, have always had this mission which has ensured the stability of our country. They place themselves above partisan interests”justifies an advisor to Bassirou Diomaye Faye.

“There is this desire not to want to take too many risks so as not to frustrate the allies or jump into the unknown, by offering positions to people from the old regime. It is a government of prudence”considers political scientist Jean-Charles Biagui, who nevertheless notes “the effort to put forward new faces”notably through the appointment of technicians such as Fatou Diouf, teacher-researcher specializing in maritime activities, appointed head of the Ministry of Fisheries.

In the economy, a specialist in monetary issues who worked at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Abdourahmane Sarr, was appointed. A position which will be all the more scrutinized as Bassirou Diomaye Faye is committed to accelerating the exit of the CFA franc, the currency common to most French-speaking states in West Africa, inherited from colonization.

It remains to be seen how the president-elect and his mentor – now prime minister – will share power. The tandem is unprecedented: main opposition leader but excluded from the presidential election, Ousmane Sonko has designated Bassirou Diomaye Faye as a replacement candidate. Will this ascendancy be reflected in the future functioning of the executive? “The position of prime minister is a conflict-prone and ejectable position”warns Ogo Seck, professor of political science at Gaston Berger University in Saint-Louis, emphasizing that“There cannot be two roosters in the same henhouse. »