Cabinet ministers and leading cadres of Senegal's ruling Patriots of Senegal party, or PASTEF, are siding with Prime Minister and PASTEF leader Ousmane Sonko after President Bassirou Diomaye Faye expressed his support for the "Bassirou President" coalition on March 7, Radio France Internationale reported on March 10. This comes amid growing divisions between Faye and Sonko, with the latter stating on March 1 that the current arrangement between the two was akin to "soft power-sharing" and that he may withdraw PASTEF from government if Faye departs from the "party's vision."

Tensions between Faye and Sonko first publicly emerged in July 2025 and have been exacerbated by IMF demands for Senegal to press ahead with debt restructuring, which Sonko has vehemently opposed. This is in spite of Senegal's debt rising to 132% of gross domestic product amid an 11.5 billion euro ($13.3 billion) "hidden debt" scandal linked to former President Macky Sall's off-book public debt. PASTEF won 130 of 165 seats in the country's November 2024 legislative election.