“Let’s not violate the law”: Tafsir Thioye confronts Ousmane Sonko with his own statements about the Republic

Tensions are rising in the National Assembly regarding the regularity of parliamentary proceedings. Speaking in plenary session, MP Tafsir Thioye strongly contested the legal framework within which debates are taking place, arguing that the institution is currently operating " illegally ".

“ I haven’t been to the Assembly for some time because I realized that we are working illegally ,” he said, before directly addressing the president of the National Assembly, Ousmane Sonko.

According to him, the problem lies primarily with the institution's internal regulations. Tafsir Thioye recalls that when Ousmane Sonko was appointed Prime Minister, he was summoned to present his general policy statement but refused, citing an anomaly in the regulations. However, the MP argues that this irregularity has still not been legally rectified.

Tafsir Thioye asserts that while the Rules of Procedure were indeed amended, the Constitutional Council should have been consulted before their promulgation by the President of the Republic. He maintains that he consulted the Official Gazette without finding any trace of this promulgation. " I asked the Constitutional Council: it was not consulted ," he stated. According to him, the absence of Article 118 renders the text incomplete and prevents the National Assembly from proceeding with its deliberations. " With the absence of Article 118, the Rules of Procedure are incomplete, and therefore we can no longer make decisions. We must adjourn the session, otherwise we will be acting illegally ," he insisted.

The MP also called on the Speaker of the National Assembly to respect republican rules, recalling a recent statement by Ousmane Sonko in which he reaffirmed his commitment to the institutions: " The Speaker of the Assembly gave an interview demonstrating his commitment to the Republic. Therefore, let us not violate the law. "

The procedure for reviewing texts is also contested

The parliamentarian did not limit himself to the issue of the Rules of Procedure. He also denounced the procedure followed for examining texts submitted to the National Assembly. Relying on Article 69 of the Rules of Procedure, he argued that the texts under discussion must first be placed on the desk of the Speaker of the National Assembly, who must then inform the Assembly—which acknowledges receipt—before any transmission to the Bureau.

According to Tafsir Thioye, the Bureau cannot therefore meet under the current conditions, particularly in an extraordinary session, without strictly adhering to this procedure. He also cites Article 5, which governs the examination of draft laws and specifies the conditions under which they can be considered.

At the end of his speech, the MP requested an adjournment, arguing that the proposals under consideration could not be addressed within the current framework of inter-committee meetings. This challenge opens a new front within the Chamber: beyond the substance of the texts, it is now the very regularity of parliamentary procedure that is being directly called into question.

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