The Senegalese government has adopted a draft revision of the Constitution that would lead to the removal of the post of Prime Minister, the first intiative of President Macky Sall’s second term.
Sall, who was comfortably re-elected in February, announced the plan earlier this month, telling the Prime Minister Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne, to abolish his own job.
That announcement was a surprise, as it had not been part of Sall’s re-election campaign.
The law will be sent for approval in the national parliament, where the presidential party enjoys a majority.
When Sall originally announced his plan, Dionne said the aim was to reduce administrative bottlenecks and “bring the administration closer to the people to speed up (economic) reforms so they have more impact”.
On Wednesday, Sall told his ministers that he wanted to better control the “lifestyle” of the state machinery, including the administration’s telephone, water and energy bills as well as the cost of the fleet of official vehicles.
Sall has been in power since 2012, and secured 58 percent of the popular vote in the recent election.
