Biometric ID card: Dramatic turn of events in the National Assembly, the bill sent back to committee

Bill No. 21/2026, amending Law No. 2016-09 of March 14, 2016, establishing the ECOWAS biometric identity card, will ultimately not be examined until the plenary vote. The text has been referred back to committee following a preliminary motion tabled by the Chairman of the Law Commission, Mr. Abdoulaye Tall.

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The plenary session of the National Assembly dedicated to examining the draft law on the ECOWAS biometric identity card was interrupted by a dramatic turn of events. While the members of parliament were supposed to continue their examination of the text, the chairman of the Committee on Laws, Decentralization, Labor and Human Rights, Mr. Abdoulaye Tall, requested that it be referred back to the committee responsible for the substantive review.

Relying on Article 84 of the Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly, the deputy introduced a preliminary motion to obtain the suspension of the debates and allow a new examination of the text.

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For Mr. Tall, the bill cannot be considered a simple administrative reform intended to organize the expiration and renewal of biometric cards that have reached the end of their ten-year validity period. "There's a lot of talk about the biometric identity card, while people conveniently forget that the voter registration card is on the back of this card," he noted during the session.

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Biometric data and the electoral calendar are at the heart of the concerns

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The chairman of the Law Commission raised several questions, particularly regarding the force majeure clauses included in the text and their potential impact on the electoral calendar. He called for careful examination of the provisions likely to affect upcoming elections.

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The issue of the security and sovereignty of personal data was also raised. Mr. Tall requested clarification on the conditions for the management, storage, and location of servers housing the biometric data of Senegalese citizens, particularly when their processing involves foreign service providers.

Another point raised was the cost of renewing the cards and the potential conditions for awarding public contracts. The MP believes these aspects must be examined with sufficient transparency within the framework of the state budget.

The situation of Senegalese citizens living abroad was finally addressed. Since the renewal of their identity cards will also concern them, the commission will have to examine the safeguards in place to protect their rights, including the right to vote.

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The text returns to the Law Commission

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The request for referral having been made by the chair of the relevant committee, in accordance with the rules of procedure invoked during the session, the text was referred to the Committee on Laws. The examination of the bill in plenary session is therefore suspended. The Committee on Laws will have to review the file, examine the various issues raised in greater detail, and, if necessary, hold hearings with officials from the Ministry of the Interior before the text is potentially returned to the members of parliament.