Senegal’s National Assembly descended into chaos on Monday after a heated debate over proposed constitutional reforms culminated in the forcible removal of an opposition lawmaker from the parliamentary chamber.

The disruption began when National Assembly President Ousmane Sonko ordered opposition MP Abdou Mbow, leader of the Takku Wallu coalition allied with former president Macky Sall’s Alliance for the Republic (APR), to leave the podium during the debate.

Mbow refused to comply with the order, prompting gendarmes to enter the chamber and escort him out by force. The dramatic intervention sparked outrage among opposition lawmakers, who walked out of the session in protest before proceedings later resumed.

The tense scenes underscore growing political divisions over the government’s constitutional reform agenda.

The proposed reforms were initially presented as part of the ruling PASTEF party’s commitment to overhaul governance by reducing presidential powers, strengthening parliamentary oversight of the national budget, enhancing public accountability, and requiring presidents and senior state officials to declare their assets before assuming office and again after leaving office.

However, the reform package has become increasingly contentious, with critics arguing that the proposals no longer fully reflect the promises made by PASTEF during its campaign for power.

The parliamentary standoff comes amid broader political tensions in Senegal, where disagreements over governance reforms have exposed fractures within the country’s political landscape.