Ousmane Sonko

Ousmane Sonko is a Senegalese politician and former tax inspector who founded and leads PASTEF-Les Patriotes. He served as prime minister from April 2024 until his dismissal by presidential decree in May 2026 and subsequently became President of Senegal's National Assembly.

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About Ousmane Sonko

Profile information current to 2026-08-22.

Senegal · Politician, Tax inspector · 2 affiliations

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Known for: Senegalese national politics; Party and electoral politics; Local government in Ziguinchor
Country: Senegal

Politician
Tax inspector

At a glance

Sonko founded PASTEF-Les Patriotes in 2014 and remains identified as its leader.
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye appointed him prime minister on April 2, 2024, and ended his functions by decree dated May 22, 2026.
Senegalese state media reported his election as President of the National Assembly on May 26, 2026.
He placed third in the 2019 presidential election with 15.67% of valid votes, and PASTEF later secured 130 of 165 National Assembly seats in the 2024 legislative election.
His elected experience includes service in the National Assembly from 2017 to 2022 and as Mayor of Ziguinchor from 2022 to 2024.

Training and entry into public life

Born in Thiès on July 15, 1974, Sonko earned a master's degree in public law from Gaston Berger University and graduated from Senegal's National School of Administration in the taxes-and-domains section. Trained as a tax inspector, he went on to found PASTEF-Les Patriotes in 2014 and became its president.

Electoral and local-government career

Sonko served in Senegal's National Assembly from 2017 to 2022. He placed third in the 2019 presidential election with 687,523 votes, or 15.67% of valid votes, and became Mayor of Ziguinchor in 2022. He left the mayoralty after becoming prime minister in 2024, with state media reporting that Djibril Sonko replaced him that June.

Legal proceedings and the 2024 presidential race

Reuters reported that a Dakar court in June 2023 acquitted Sonko of rape and death-threat charges but convicted him of corrupting youth and sentenced him to two years in prison; Sonko rejected the accusations as politically motivated. In January 2024, the Constitutional Council rejected his presidential candidacy application, with the Associated Press reporting that the exclusion was tied to his defamation conviction and that his application was also found incomplete. The reviewed evidence does not establish the final later procedural status of the 2023 criminal proceedings.

Prime minister and parliamentary leader

President Bassirou Diomaye Faye appointed Sonko prime minister on April 2, 2024. Later that year, the Constitutional Council awarded PASTEF 130 of the National Assembly's 165 seats following the November legislative election. Faye ended Sonko's prime-ministerial functions by decree dated May 22, 2026, and state media reported his election as President of the National Assembly on May 26. Official sources differ slightly over the recorded end of his premiership and the commencement date of his parliamentary presidency.

Affiliations

PASTEF-Les Patriotes Founder and president 2014–present
National Assembly of Senegal President present

Timeline

2014 Founded and became president of PASTEF-Les Patriotes.
2017 Began service as a member of Senegal's National Assembly.
2019 Placed third in Senegal's presidential election with 15.67% of valid votes.
2022 Became Mayor of Ziguinchor.
2024-04-02 Appointed Prime Minister of Senegal by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.
2024-11-27 PASTEF was awarded 130 of 165 National Assembly seats in the final legislative-election results.
2026-05-22 Dismissed as prime minister by presidential decree no. 2026-1128.
2026-05-26 Senegalese state media reported his election as President of the National Assembly.

Additional verified details

Current context

Recent Associated Press reporting identifies Sonko as head of PASTEF, while Senegal's public-life portal identifies him as the party's founder and president. Party-leadership status is treated as current based on recent reporting and should be rechecked before publication.
Senegalese state media reported Sonko's election as President of the National Assembly on May 26, 2026; the public-life portal lists him as holding that office since June 2026. The sources establish that he held the office in 2026 but present a minor discrepancy over the applicable commencement date.
Sonko was no longer Prime Minister of Senegal after President Faye ended his functions by decree dated May 22, 2026.

Biographical facts

Ousmane Sonko was born on July 15, 1974, in Thiès, Senegal.
He holds a master's degree in public law from Gaston Berger University and graduated from Senegal's National School of Administration in the taxes-and-domains section.
Sonko served as a member of Senegal's National Assembly from 2017 to 2022.
In Senegal's 2019 presidential election, Sonko placed third with 687,523 votes, or 15.67% of valid votes cast.
Sonko was Mayor of Ziguinchor from 2022 until 2024. State media reported that he resigned after his appointment as prime minister and was replaced by Djibril Sonko in June 2024.
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye appointed Sonko Prime Minister of Senegal on April 2, 2024. Faye later ended his functions by decree no. 2026-1128 dated May 22, 2026.
The Constitutional Council's final results for the November 17, 2024 legislative election awarded PASTEF 130 of the National Assembly's 165 seats.
Reuters reported that a Dakar court on June 1, 2023 acquitted Sonko of rape and death-threat charges but convicted him of corrupting youth and sentenced him to two years in prison. Reuters also reported that Sonko rejected the accusations as politically motivated.
In January 2024, the Constitutional Council rejected Sonko's presidential candidacy application. Associated Press reported that the final candidate-list exclusion was tied to his defamation conviction and that the application was also found incomplete.