The new Senegalese Prime Minister Amadou Bâ has just announced his government. Very few changes have been made.
The choice was long, but the name of the Senegalese Prime Minister finally fell a few days ago. And the least we can say is that Macky Sall played the surprise card. While Wade's former prime minister, Idrissa Seck, thought he would get the job, it was Amadou Bâ who finally inherited the prime ministership. A surprising choice when we know that, during the last legislative elections, the former director of taxes failed in the face of the opposition, in the area of the Sanitized Parcels. Is it a poisoned gift for the former finance minister? This one will in any case have a lot to do, while Macky Sall suffers the ire of a dispersed, but very noisy opposition.
While waiting for the 2024 presidential election, Amadou Bâ will have to try to be consensual. A difficult bet, after the very narrow victory of Benno Bokk Yakaar (BBY) in the legislative elections. The presidential coalition had to rally an independent deputy to obtain an absolute majority. The inter-coalition which brings together Yewwi Askan Wi (YAW) and Wallu Senegal has already made a show of force in the National Assembly, when appointing Amadou Mame Diop as President of the Assembly.
Government "of challenge and combat"
While Macky Sall still has a little more than four months to serve as President of the African Union, his international stature will prevent him from being omnipresent in Senegal. Restore the post of Prime Minister, which he himself had removed, was therefore a wise choice. Especially since until 2024, the Senegalese president was alone in taking the hits. “Like any Prime Minister, Amadou Bâ will play the role of fuse, indicates an observer of Senegalese political life. But with such a fragile majority in the National Assembly, governing will be very difficult in the coming months”.
Especially since the opposition seems determined to scream as soon as it can. And that within the majority, the choice of Bâ does not pass with everyone. In particular Aminata Touré, the former Prime Minister who secretly dreamed of finding her post. But isn't it finally a service that Macky Sall has just rendered to “Mimi”? Because the next two years are going to be very complicated for the Prime Minister and his government.
Bâ understood this well, claiming to appoint a government “of challenge and combat”. A government whose sovereign positions have not been reshuffled. The Prime Minister has announced his government, which contains few surprises. Only the appointment of Oulimata Sarr to replace Amadou Hott as Minister of the Economy is surprising. For the rest, we take (almost) the same and we start again.