Senegal: Ousmane Diagne appointed president of the Constitutional Council by Diomaye Faye

The decision was officialized by decree n°2026-1318 on July 13, 2026. According to the press release from the Presidency of the Republic, Bassirou Diomaye Faye has appointed Ousmane Diagne “member and President of the Constitutional Council,” in replacement of the late Mamadou Badio Camara.

This appointment comes after the death of Mamadou Badio Camara, who had been leading the Constitutional Council until then. Ousmane Diagne thus takes the helm of the institution responsible for, among other things, overseeing the constitutionality of laws and electoral disputes in Senegal.

A magistrate by profession, Ousmane Diagne has held several important positions within the Senegalese judicial system. The communiqué reminds that he has been the Attorney General near the Court of Appeal of Dakar, the first Advocate General near the Supreme Court, as well as Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seals.

An experienced magistrate at the head of the Constitutional Council

With this appointment, the head of state entrusts the presidency of the Constitutional Council to someone from the judiciary. Ousmane Diagne inherits an institution that is particularly watched, due to its role in reviewing the conformity of laws with the Constitution and in regulating major electoral events.

The Constitutional Council holds a strategic position in the institutional balance of Senegal. Its decisions can influence political debate, particularly when they concern texts adopted by Parliament, candidacies for the presidential election, or disputes related to voting.

The appointment of Ousmane Diagne therefore marks a new stage in the reconfiguration of Senegalese institutions. It occurs in a context where constitutional justice remains at the center of several public debates, notably regarding the evolution of institutions and the relationships between powers.

The communiqué from the Presidency, signed in Dakar on July 13, 2026, by the minister and Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic, Oumar Samba Ba, presents this decision as a formal appointment at the top of the Constitutional Council.

Ousmane Diagne will now have to ensure the continuity of the institution after Mamadou Badio Camara, while leading the work of a Constitutional Council that is expected to remain a major player in Senegal’s institutional life.