Madar (Dakar) - Pastef leader and Senegal's National Assembly speaker Ousmane Sonko said on Monday, October 19, 2026, that the party's lawmakers will not vote the 2026 amended finance bill in its current form, despite President Bassirou Diomaye Faye's request for priority consideration, Senegalese media reported.
Speaking at a press conference in Dakar after a party conclave, Sonko called the bill "very bad for the country". "For now, we reject nothing, we validate nothing," he said, before warning: "If it is kept as it is, we reject it."
He said the fuel subsidy envelope had been cut from 790 billion to 552 billion CFA francs, about 30% less, which he attributed to commitments under an agreement with the International Monetary Fund capping subsidies at 1% of GDP.
Diesel would rise to 867 CFA francs a litre if the Assembly passed the bill, he warned, pushing up the cost of transport, bread, rice and everyday goods.
Sonko also criticised a 555-billion-CFA-franc cut in investment credits and reductions for social ministries including education, family and solidarity, and vocational training, while saying the party was open to talks with the government.
The government had not yet responded. Sonko and President Faye have been at odds since Faye announced in July that he was founding a new party.
