A government of "rupture." That's how Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko presented his new, streamlined cabinet on the evening of Friday, April 5. It consists of 25 ministers and five secretaries of state, almost half of them from the ranks of his political party, the African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity (PASTEF). "This is a government that embodies the project [of Bassirou Diomaye Faye], a systemic transformation the Senegalese people voted for on March 24, 2024, through a first-round election with 54.28% of the vote," Sonko said of the president-elect.

The main surprise comes from the appointment of two military officers to regalian posts: General Birame Diop, former chief of the defense staff, has been placed at the head of the armed forces, while General Jean-Baptiste Tine, former top commander of the national gendarmerie, has been named interior minister. "Members of the military are not political, they are above the fray," said analyst Abdou Khadre Lô, for whom these appointments reflect the new government's desire to entrust key ministries to figures embodying a form of political neutrality. This was previously seen in 2000 when a general was appointed to the Interior Ministry to organize the presidential election, which led to Senegal's first peaceful transition of power.

The new Justice Minister Ousmane Diagne, formerly a public prosecutor at the Dakar Court of Appeal and known for being serious, is anticipated to be less biased than his predecessor during Macky Sall's final term.

'No real sharing of the cake'

In addition to these appointments, a significant place is given to officials from PASTEF, a party created in 2014 that has never exercised power before. In all, 13 members of the government are from the movement, including several heavyweights. Among them, Birame Souleye Diop, who has chaired the parliamentary group of the main opposition coalition, Yewwi Askan Wi, since September 2022, has been appointed to the Ministry of Energy, Petroleum and Mines. This appointment is particularly significant as Senegal prepares to become a hydrocarbon-producing country in 2024.

Yacine Fall, PASTEF vice president in charge of international relations, who has worked at the United Nations, has inherited the Ministry of African Integration and Foreign Affairs. She is one of four women in this overwhelmingly male executive branch. There were between seven and eight women in previous governments.

"There's no real sharing of the cake. Many of PASTEF's historic players are not in the government. Nor are certain allies, such as former Prime Minister Aminata Touré or senior figure Habib Sy, who campaigned in favor of Bassirou Diomaye Faye," pointed out Lô, who sees this as a "real rupture."

Some survivors from the previous term have nevertheless found their place in the government, such as Serigne Guèye Diop, minister of industry and trade, who was a close adviser to Sall. On the evening he was sworn in, Faye chose Mary Teuw Niane, a former education minister who went over to the opposition in 2019, as his cabinet director.

Limited risk-taking

Oumar Samba Ba, secretary general of the presidency during the previous term of office, has been reappointed. "We made this choice to ensure the continuity of the State. Since the first president, Léopold Sédar Senghor, senior civil servants who are not members of political parties have always had this mission, which has ensured the stability of our country. They are above partisan interests," explained an adviser to Faye.

"There's this desire not to take too many risks so as not to frustrate allies or leap into the unknown, by offering positions to people from the former regime. It's a cautious government," said political scientist Jean-Charles Biagui, who nonetheless noted "the effort to put forward new faces," particularly through the appointment of experts such as Fatou Diouf, a lecturer and researcher specializing in maritime activities who will head the Ministry of Fisheries.

Abdourahmane Sarr, a specialist in monetary issues who has worked at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has been appointed as economic minister. This position will be all the more scrutinized as Faye has pledged to speed up the exit from the CFA franc, the common currency of most French-speaking West African countries, inherited from colonial times.

It remains to be seen how the president-elect and his mentor – now prime minister – will share power. The pairing is unprecedented: Sonko, the main opposition leader but excluded from the presidential election, designated Faye as his substitute candidate. Will this influence be reflected in the future workings of the executive branch? "The post of prime minister is a conflict-ridden and precarious position," warned Ogo Seck, professor of political science at the Université Gaston Berger in Saint-Louis, stressing that "there can't be two roosters in the same henhouse."