Ousmane Sonko, the speaker of Senegal's National Assembly and former prime minister, was unanimously re-elected on Saturday as leader of the Pan-Africanist Pastef party at a congress in Diamniadio, a satellite town outside the capital Dakar. The vote — 583 delegates in favour — came weeks after President Bassirou Diomaye Faye dismissed Sonko as prime minister on 22 May, cementing a dramatic falling-out between two men who were once inseparable political allies.

The rift between Sonko and Faye has its roots in the unusual circumstances of their partnership. Widely popular but barred from standing in Senegal's 2024 presidential election due to a criminal conviction, Sonko anointed Faye — a close associate — to run in his place. Faye won and appointed Sonko prime minister. Tensions surfaced publicly in July 2025, when Sonko accused Faye of a