Dakar:A conflict has arisen between the Senegalese government and the National Assembly regarding the 2027 budget proposal. This follows the refusal by the Ministry of Economy, Finance, and Planning to comply with a request to withdraw the proposal made by the president of the Finance and Budgetary Control Committee.
According to Agencia de Noticias da Guine, the ministry issued a statement on Wednesday accusing the committee of engaging in "obstructive maneuvers" during the analysis process of the initial 2027 budget proposal, which had been submitted to the National Assembly via presidential decree.
This dispute follows a letter dated November 3, in which the president of the Finance Committee argued that the rejection of the 2026 budget amendment law (LFR) undermines the assumptions used in drafting the following year's budget. The parliamentary official called for the submission of a new project based on the initial 2026 budgetary provisions.
The ministry contested this interpretation, maintaining that the rejection of an amending budget law does not automatically necessitate the withdrawal of the subsequent year's budget proposal. The ministry also noted that the committee president had scheduled a meeting for November 4 to commence the analysis of the 2027 budget, despite having previously requested the withdrawal of the text.
The ministry warned that these actions could jeopardize government priorities such as public finance consolidation, clearing of arrears, economic recovery, and support for vulnerable populations. It also referenced commitments made to trade unions under the National Pact for Social Stability, urging adherence to budgetary review procedures.
This contention arose after the National Assembly rejected the 2026 budget amendment bill on Tuesday, following the approval of a preliminary question that received 126 votes in favor, According to corrected official count. The text had previously been rejected twice by the Finance and Budgetary Control Committee on October 23 and 30.
The 2027 budget proposal includes expenditures amounting to 7,363.7 billion CFA francs (approximately 12.6 billion dollars), amid efforts to restore public finances and ongoing discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).