Senegal’s Prime Minister Ahmadou Al Aminou Lô called for talks with Pastef lawmakers on Sunday. After Pastef, the ruling party, voted down his revised budget in committee, Lô urged lawmakers at a press conference in Dakar on 25 October that he would rather see their amendments than watch the bill die. He has offered technical talks before the plenary debate set for 27 October, according to bne IntelliNews, citing the state news agency APS.
Where the money goes
The government says it faces a 340 billion CFA franc hole in revenue and 540 billion CFA francs in extra spending, mostly on energy subsidies, defence and security. To make the numbers work, it wants to cut 555 billion CFA francs in payments for public investment this year.
Lô insists the projects are not being cancelled. The commitments stay, he says; some payments would be deferred to 2027. The revised budget also sets aside 300 billion CFA francs to pay down arrears the state owes.
Pastef MPs are not convinced. RFI reported that they object to cuts touching health, education and vocational training, and want more transparency, including tighter control of so-called political funds.
Sonko holds the cards
The arithmetic makes this more than a family quarrel. Pastef holds 130 of the National Assembly’s 165 seats, and its leader, Ousmane Sonko, now presides over the chamber after President Bassirou Diomaye Faye removed him as prime minister in May.
Markets have noticed. Reuters reported that Senegal’s international bonds fell sharply after Sonko signalled lawmakers would not back the budget bills. A $2.2 billion IMF programme agreed in principle in September still needs final approval, Semafor reported, and it underpins the country’s debt strategy.
The plenary debate is scheduled for 27 October, with technical talks proposed beforehand.
