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Ousmane Sonko takes helm of Senegal’s National Assembly

May 26, 2026

By Djinodji SOLMENGAR Rodrigue

DAKAR – Senegalese lawmakers elected Ousmane Sonko as Speaker of the National Assembly on Tuesday. He won 132 of the 133 votes cast, while one lawmaker abstained.

Sonko replaces El Malick Ndiaye, who resigned from the post on Sunday 24.His election follows recent changes at the top of government.

Last week, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye removed Sonko as prime minister and appointed Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo, a former senior official at the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), to lead the government.

Before the vote, Sonko resumed his seat in Parliament. The leader of the ruling PASTEF party now assumes one of Senegal’s most influential legislative positions.

Djinodji Solmengar

Djinodji Solmengar

Djinodji Solmengar Rodrigue is a journalist with MRTV English, Chad’s first English-language media outlet, where he led English-language news coverage at its launch. Based in N’Djamena, his reporting explores political, economic, and social developments, with particular attention to everyday realities, informal sectors, and cultural life. His work also extends to football and broader societal issues, approached through field reporting and in-depth storytelling. Beyond reporting, Djinodji regularly conducts interviews focused on education, including the teaching of English in Chad, as well as conversations (with AFROTRONIX, to name a few) on culture and music. He is also active as an English–French interpreter, working alongside international media professionals. In this capacity, he recently supported and interpreted for a delegation of foreign journalists, including BBC representatives, during the PND Chad Connexion 2030 mission. Alongside his professional practice, Djinodji is pursuing a PhD, with research centered on the presence of China and Russia in Africa as portrayed in selected Commonwealth online media. His academic interests lie at the intersection of media, geopolitics, and discourse analysis. Earlier in his career, he taught English and authored a Master’s thesis examining the contextualization of English language teaching in Chad, reflecting a sustained engagement with educational challenges and policy.

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