Senegal’s National Assembly rejected the government’s revised 2026 budget on Tuesday, November 3, worsening a political standoff that could delay a proposed $2.2 billion IMF program and make the country’s plans to restructure its debt harder.
The Assembly’s finance committee had already rejected the bill twice. Lawmakers from the Pastef party, which holds a majority in parliament, oppose the bill in its current form. Reuters reported that the Assembly’s statement gave a corrected tally of 126 votes against the measure after a technical problem with the count.
Earlier reports gave a different result. The IMF program reached staff-level agreement in September, but the Fund’s Executive Board must still approve it before financing can be released. Senegal is seeking the funding as it works to restore public finances and address borrowing that had not been disclosed before.
That borrowing pushed the country’s debt burden to 132% of GDP by the end of 2024, according to IMF figures. The revised budget lowers projected 2026 growth to 2.7%, from about 5%. It raises the planned deficit to 7.6% of GDP, from 5.4%.
The rejection does not itself cancel the IMF program. It adds uncertainty to the government’s financing and debt plans.