In Senegal, legislators pass divisive constitutional reform curbing presidential powers

Members of Senegal’s National Assembly on Monday adopted a controversial constitutional amendment that expands their role and reduces presidential powers, but the government said it will be put to a referendum. [ . . . ] The reform strengthens parliament’s powers, such as requiring the government to inform the legislature of agreements related to the exploitation of natural resources. It also expands the powers of parliamentary inquiry committees. The text also proposes the creation of a Constitutional Court to replace the current Constitutional Council. The new court would be composed of nine members, compared to the current seven. Other changes include the incompatibility of the functions of head of state and leader of a political party, a limitation on the decisions that can be made by the executive branch between the presidential election and the official proclamation of the results, and stricter controls on the president’s power to dissolve the National Assembly.
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