Senegal's parliament speaker quits two days after prime minister sacked


DAKAR, May 25 (Reuters) - ⁠Senegal's parliament speaker, El Malick Ndiaye, ⁠has announced his resignation, deepening political turmoil ‌in the West African nation two days after the president dismissed the government.

• Ndiaye, a senior figure in ​the ruling PASTEF party, said ⁠on Sunday his resignation ⁠was a personal decision, giving the "higher interest of ⁠the ‌nation" as a reason for his departure.

• President Bassirou Diomaye Faye dismissed ⁠Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko on Friday ​and dissolved ‌the government after months of mounting tension ⁠between the ​two leaders.

• Ties between Faye and Sonko, allies who swept to power together in 2024, ⁠soured against a backdrop of growing ​economic challenges linked to debt and domestic fallout from the Iran war.

• Members of parliament ⁠are set to convene on Tuesday to vote on reinstating Sonko as a lawmaker and to elect a new speaker for the National ​Assembly to replace Ndiaye.

• ⁠Some critics say reinstating Sonko would be illegal ​as he has never ‌been a member of parliament.

(Reporting ​by Diadie Ba;Writing by Clement Bonnerot; Editing by Anait Miridzhanian and Helen Popper)

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