Senegal’s opposition-led parliament has rejected proposed revisions to the national budget, dealing a major blow to the country’s efforts to secure a new $2.2 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Lawmakers belonging to Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko’s Pastef party voted 109 to 20 against the bill, extending a tense fiscal standoff. The delay threatens to derail an expected IMF board vote next month aimed at stabilizing Senegal’s public finances.
The nation is currently grappling with a severe debt burden—reaching 132% of GDP by the end of 2024 due to previously hidden borrowing by the former administration—amid broader domestic challenges, including high unemployment, a cost-of-living crisis, and political friction between Sonko and President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.