The Commission on Laws, Decentralization, Labor and Human Rights of the National Assembly adopted, Friday December 13, 2024, bill n°13/2024 revising the Constitution. This reform provides in particular for the abolition of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) and the High Council of Territorial Authorities (HCCT).
During this session, chaired by Me Abdoulaye Tall, Ministers Ousmane Diagne, in charge of Justice, and Abass Fall, Minister of Labor, defended this project before the deputies.
In his explanatory statement, the Minister of Justice explained that “the evolution of the institutions of the Republic is dependent on socio-political changes”.
He recalled that Senegal has already abolished bodies considered obsolete, such as the Senate or the Council of the Republic for Economic and Social Affairs (CRAES). “Today, the national context requires a tightening of institutions for governance more streamlined and efficient,” he said.
According to him, the abolition of the CESE and the HCCT is part of a logic of institutional simplification and reduction of public spending. “This reform will make it possible to redirect resources towards actions more beneficial to the life of the Nation,” he said.
Concretely, this constitutional revision involves the modification of article 6 of the Constitution and the deletion of titles VI bis and VII-1, as well as articles 66-1 and 87-1. An amendment proposing to submit this reform to a referendum was rejected. “After the explanatory statement, the deputy members of the committee adopted the bill by a majority, without debate,” said Mady Danfakha, the rapporteur.
The Minister of Justice Ousmane Diagne concluded the session by inviting parliamentarians “to approve the text in plenary session, scheduled for this Saturday, December 14, if it does not raise any major objections. »
