During the inaugural extraordinary session of the National Assembly, President Ousmane Sonko announced the deferral of seven legislative initiatives submitted by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye. These proposals, which had been received by the assembly, will not appear on the current session’s agenda.
Key legislative proposals deferred
Among the seven bills deferred were proposals seeking presidential authorization to ratify several international agreements, including:
- A treaty designed to enhance access to published works for visually impaired individuals
- Amendments to the International Civil Aviation Convention
- A military and technical cooperation agreement between Senegal and the Republic of Congo
- Extradition and mutual legal assistance conventions between Senegal and the United Arab Emirates
- A judicial cooperation treaty between Senegal and Italy
Sonko clarified that these initiatives would be deferred to future extraordinary sessions or the upcoming ordinary session, stating: “Other agenda items will be scheduled for upcoming extraordinary sessions or, if necessary, the next ordinary session.”
Agenda priorities set for the session
While these presidential proposals were sidelined, the assembly’s bureau prioritized three government bills and eight private member proposals for debate. Key legislative texts included:
- A comprehensive labor code overhaul
- Reforms to the social security framework
- Measures for protecting critical information infrastructure and cybersecurity
The session also featured urgent deliberations on constitutional amendments regarding presidential asset declarations and special budgetary credits, as requested by their proponents.
Parliamentary inquiries take center stage
Additionally, lawmakers will examine six proposals to establish parliamentary inquiry commissions targeting:
- Land management discrepancies
- State-owned property transactions
- Financial mechanism utilization (Total Return Swap)
- Alleged irregularities in the “One Student, One Computer” program
- Revenue losses and tax exemption management
- Fishing license issuance and renewal conditions
