The supplementary budget (LFR) is being compounded by a deep dispute between the government and the majority’s parliamentarians. At a joint press conference held on Sunday, the MPs of the Pastef Group, led by Ayib Daffé and Amadou Bâ, justified their rejection of the bill in committee. Between cuts to school infrastructure, uncertainty over energy subsidies and suspicions of a lack of budgetary transparency, the majority is demanding clear explanations before any approval.

Eliminating makeshift classrooms in the Senegalese education system is one of the main sticking points. Facing the press, the president of the Pastef parliamentary group, Ayib Daffé, went on the offensive to denounce the withdrawal of the appropriations allocated to this essential programme. “We cannot sacrifice education,” he insisted, recalling that ending makeshift classrooms is a priority to guarantee equal opportunities.

Rejecting any suggestion of politically motivated obstruction, Ayib Daffé assured that Pastef MPs remain open to dialogue, but refuse financial trade-offs that are unfavourable to the population. While acknowledging the relevance of the family security grants, he believes they cannot replace basic infrastructure: “Giving Senegalese people money to ease their burden is a good idea, but giving them that money without having schools to learn in, hospitals to be treated in and roads to travel on is not relevant.”

Turning to the technical and accounting aspects, MP Amadou Bâ stated that the rejection of the bill in committee was based on major economic concerns and irregularities found during the examination of the bill. “After the hidden debt, they have created hidden budgets,” he declared.

Among the grievances raised, Amadou Bâ pointed to the disappearance of the energy subsidy from the document submitted to parliamentarians, as well as the absence of clearly identified funding for the family security grants in the special Treasury accounts attached to the Ministry of the Family. Another cause for concern: the 555 billion CFA franc reduction in the investment budgets planned for 2026, for which Pastef is demanding to know the precise projects and funding affected by these cancellations.

Also criticising the resources allocated to the State’s personalised services, the parliamentarian recalled that public funds must imperatively be subject to parliamentary scrutiny and accountability. For Pastef MPs, no vote will be conceivable without exhaustive clarifications and a guarantee of budgetary transparency.