In a public statement issued on June 1, 2026, PASTEF-Les Patriotes, the party led by influential figure Ousmane Sonko, confirmed its decision not to participate in the cabinet assembled by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye. The party articulated that it had identified significant divergences with the Head of State concerning the organization of the executive branch, explicitly stating that no official members of PASTEF would hold government portfolios.

Notwithstanding PASTEF’s declared non-participation, the government, now under the leadership of Prime Minister Ahmadou Al-Aminou Lo, features numerous individuals whose public profiles are frequently associated, within Senegalese political discourse, either with the broader PASTEF movement or with circles closely connected to its prominent leader, Ousmane Sonko.

key figures linked to pastef in the new senegalese government

Among the recently appointed ministers, several are widely perceived in the public sphere as being aligned with the political vision championed by Ousmane Sonko and Bassirou Diomaye Faye during the pivotal 2024 presidential election. These include Yankhoba Diémé, who assumes the role of Minister of Armed Forces; Cheikh Tidiane Dièye, appointed Minister of Hydraulics and Sanitation; Ibrahim Sy, now Minister of Health and Public Hygiene; Marie Angélique Mame Selbe Diouf, taking charge as Minister of Family and Solidarities; and Déthié Fall, who is the Minister of Infrastructure.

These particular profiles are generally understood to originate either from the direct presidential movement or from political alliances that actively supported the momentum leading to the electoral victory of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.

Conversely, other members of the government are largely viewed as independent technocrats or political personalities whose career paths are not directly tied to an official partisan affiliation with PASTEF. Notable among these are Cheikh Diba, Cheikh Niang, and Boubacar Camara, whose appointments suggest a broader inclusion of diverse expertise within the new administration.