Senegal’s 2026 revised budget: can the Pastef majority survive a vote that pits the IMF against the people?

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Senegal’s 2026 revised budget: can the Pastef majority survive a vote that pits the IMF against the people?

Senegal's 2026 revised budget: can the Pastef majority survive a vote that pits the IMF against the people?

The 2026 revised finance law now under debate has pushed Senegal’s budget deficit to 1,735.2 billion FCFA, jeopardizing planned investments and intensifying political pressure on the Pastef majority, which must take a stand on a crucial issue.

The text has been on the deputies’ table since September 18, and it may well be the most uncomfortable vote of this legislature. As they examine the 2026 revised finance law, the Pastef majority faces a choice between two bad options: approve a budget tied to the agreement with the IMF, or risk being accused of paralyzing the state. This is a dilemma where every answer carries a political cost.

On substance, the revised finance law deeply reshapes the year’s accounts. The budget deficit is reevaluated at 1,735.2 billion FCFA, or 7.6% of GDP, against an initially planned rate of 5.4%. The government attributes this deterioration mainly to higher subsidies for the energy sector, the assumption of new priority expenditures, and lower revenues.

The energy item concentrates most of the shock. The envelope intended to support the sector rises from 250 to 790.3 billion FCFA, an increase of 540.3 billion. At the same time, expected revenues fall to 5,848.7 billion FCFA, 340.1 billion less than the 6,188.8 billion planned in the initial finance law. The executive justifies this revision by the effects of the global energy crisis and a rainfall deficit.

To contain the drift, the text sacrifices investment. The government plans a reduction of 555 billion FCFA in investments, split between domestic and external resources. In return, some social safety nets are strengthened: the family security scholarship envelope rises from 35 billion to 70 billion FCFA. Finally, the authorities aim to bring energy subsidies below 1% of GDP by 2029, while better targeting vulnerable households. It is this last orientation that crystallizes concerns about the price of electricity and fuel.

Voting yes: endorsing the agreement they criticized

This law is not a simple accounting adjustment. It comes after the agreement concluded between Senegal and the IMF, which remains subject to approval by the Fund’s Board of Directors. The agreement in principle covers 2.2 billion dollars over 36 months. And the IMF’s mission chief for Senegal, Mercedes Vera Martin, was…

Front pages of September 26, 2026View all front pages
  • Libération
  • La Voix +
  • L’As
  • Dakar Times
  • Le Quotidien
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  2. Unexpected turn in the Assembly: Is Bassirou Diomaye Faye beginning to destabilize Pastef?
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