Senegal’s National Assembly elected ousted prime minister Ousmane Sonko its speaker Tuesday in a vote boycotted by the opposition, following months of tension that culminated in the firebrand’s sacking.

Sonko’s rise to the top of parliament comes four days after President Bassirou Diomaye Faye fired him and with opposition lawmakers deeming his reinstatement to the National Assembly “illegal”.

Sonko remains the undisputed leader of Pastef, the party which controls 130 of the 165 seats in Senegal’s only legislative body.

He received a long ovation after getting 132 votes, with no member voting against him and one abstaining, according to the session’s presiding member Ismael Diallo. Sonko was the sole candidate for the position.

He replaces El Malick Ndiaye, a loyal supporter who resigned Sunday, paving the way for the ex-prime minister’s rise.

The parliamentary session began shortly after 9:00 am (local and GMT), with Sonko in attendance.

Aissata Tall Sall, who heads the main opposition, denounced an “institutional coup” which she said Monday was prepared under “pressure that the majority wants to impose.”

Sall said she believed Sonko, in order to become a lawmaker again, should first have resigned as prime minister to sit even temporarily in parliament before returning to government.

Faye appointed Sonko prime minister in April 2024 after winning the presidential election the previous month.

Faye essentially owes his position to Sonko, his one-time mentor who would almost certainly have taken the top job had he not been barred from the presidential election due to a defamation conviction.

Faye faces the difficult task of governing and implementing reforms in a country troubled by serious economic difficulties.