Senegal’s Constitutional Council has rejected an opposition petition seeking to overturn the reinstatement of Ousmane Sonko as a member of the National Assembly, dealing a significant blow to efforts to block his political comeback.

The ruling means Sonko will retain both his parliamentary seat and his position as Speaker of the National Assembly, a role he secured in May after being reinstated as a lawmaker following his departure from government.

Opposition lawmakers had argued that Sonko forfeited his parliamentary mandate when he chose to remain in government, citing constitutional provisions on the incompatibility of executive and legislative offices.

However, supporters maintained that the Constitution only prohibits the simultaneous exercise of both functions and does not permanently strip an elected official of their parliamentary mandate.

The decision strengthens Sonko’s position at the head of Senegal’s legislature and marks another major victory for the influential PASTEF leader amid an ongoing political rivalry with President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.