Senegal’s President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has launched his own political party, formally cementing his rift with former ally Ousmane Sonko.
The move for Faye’s new political party came on Saturday in Dakar, according to the Associated Press, and marks the most decisive step yet in a political split that had been building for months.
Faye’s new political party, named Kiiraay, or the Republican Patriots in English, positions the president to build a movement anchored in his own office rather than in the machinery of Pastef, the party that carried both men to power. Al Jazeera reported that the launch sets up a struggle for control of the reform coalition that swept the pair into government in 2024.
Faye and Sonko rose together through Pastef, an acronym for its French name, Patriotes Africains du Sénégal pour le Travail, l’Éthique et la Fraternité. Sonko built his profile as a former tax inspector campaigning against corruption and economic dependency, drawing strong support from young voters frustrated by unemployment.
When Sonko was barred from contesting the 2024 presidential election over a defamation conviction, Pastef nominated Faye instead. Campaigning under the slogan “Diomaye is Sonko,” Faye won comfortably and later appointed Sonko as prime minister, a partnership the Associated Press described as central to the reform movement’s momentum.
Tensions between the two men grew over economic policy and the direction of the coalition. Senegal’s debt burden worsened after officials discovered that the previous administration had underreported billions of dollars in borrowing, forcing the government into difficult decisions and renewed talks with international lenders.
The rupture deepened at the end of May, when Faye dismissed Sonko as prime minister and dissolved the government. Sonko responded days later by announcing that Pastef would not take part in the new cabinet, a move that formalised the break between the former allies A many say set the stage for the inevitable – Faye’s new political party.
In the weeks leading up to Saturday’s launch, a growing number of Pastef officials resigned to join Faye’s camp, Al Jazeera noted, including several regional leaders and members of the party’s youth wing. Members of the opposition Alliance for the Republic have also joined the new movement, according to Bloomberg.
Faye’s new political party is expected to face its first real test in local elections scheduled for 2027, a contest widely seen as a preview of the 2029 presidential race. Bloomberg reported that Faye and Sonko are already regarded as likely rivals in that future vote.
Whether Faye’s new political party can match the grassroots reach that Pastef built under Sonko’s leadership remains uncertain. Much of Faye’s own rise to the presidency was closely tied to Sonko’s popularity rather than his own, a dynamic that could shape how the rivalry plays out over the next three years.
