Senegal's National Assembly elected ousted prime minister Ousmane Sonko as its speaker Tuesday, May 26. President Bassirou Diomaye Faye fired Sonko on Friday and dissolved the government after months of tension. Faye and Sonko are from the same party PASTEF. Sonko remains the leader of the party he founded in 2014 and which controls 130 of the 165 seats in Senegal's legislative body. ALSO READ: Senegal president dismisses prime minister, dissolves government He secured 132 votes, with no member voting against him and one abstaining, according to the session's presiding member Ismael Diallo. Sonko has replaced El Malick Ndiaye, a loyal supporter who resigned Sunday, paving the way for the ex-prime minister's appointment. After being installed in his new position, Sonko promised to not use this responsibility to orchestrate institutional chaos, to create an institutional crisis, or to cause problems for the President of the Republic. No member of parliament with me will use this institution for a personal vendetta, Sonko said, adding that the house would neither be a rubber stamp body. Emphasising that parliament was a source of checks and balances, he said that we will vote for laws that are in the public interest and reject those that are not.
