National Assembly in Senegal limits presidential power

Senegal’s National Assembly places restrictions on presidential power through constitutional reform, as reported by Maghrebi Week on July 6th.

The constitutional amendment includes various limitations on the executive branch of government. Any agreements the government makes that relate to the exploitation of natural resources must be reported to the legislature. More controls have been placed on the president’s power to dissolve the National Assembly. Additionally there are restrictions on what decisions the executive branch can make between the presidential election and the official declaration of the results.

In contrast, the National Assembly’s powers are significantly increased by the reform as parliamentary inquiry committees now have increased authority. Included in the amendment is a proposal to replace the current Constitutional Council with a Constitutional Court. As the new court would be made up of nine members, this change marks an increase of members from the current council’s seven.