Togo ruling party wins legislative elections

President Faure Gnassingbe Togo’s ruling party won a crushing majority in legislative elections, authorities said, allowing the longtime leader to extend his rule under a contested constitutional reform.

Gnassingbe’s Union for the Republic party (UNIR) won 108 of 113 seats in the vote held last Monday, according to provisional results announced by the national electoral commission late Saturday.

Turnout was 61 percent, according to commission figures, but the triumph is total for Gnassingbe, already in power since 2005 after his father Gnassingbe Eyadema ruled the small West African state for nearly four decades.

Under the new constitution approved by lawmakers in April, Gnassingbe will be able to take a new post as president of the council of ministers, a role similar to prime minister, that is automatically assumed by the leader of the majority party in parliament.

Opposition parties denounced the constitutional reform as an “institutional coup”, creating a role tailor-made for Gnassingbe to evade presidential term limits and extend his family’s dynasty.

UNIR loyalists say the change to a parliamentary system made Togo’s democracy more representative.

Under the previous constitution, Gnassingbe would have been able to run for the presidency just one more time in 2025.

Gnassingbe, 57, has already won four elections, though all were denounced as flawed by the opposition. The main opposition boycotted the last parliamentary election in 2018, citing irregularities. This time they had rallied supporters to challenge UNIR dominance.

According to the new constitution, Togo’s president becomes a mostly ceremonial role elected by parliament, and not the people, for a four-year term.

As president of the council of ministers, Gnassingbe will be able to stay in power without term limits as long as the UNIR is the majority party in the national assembly, according to the opposition.

Regional election observers said they were satisfied with the April 29 election, which also saw a vote for regional representatives who will help select the membership of the senate, a newly created second chamber.

Opposition parties denounced some irregularities in the legislative election and others had challenged the constitutional reform as illegal in the court of the regional bloc Economic Community of West African States or ECOWAS.

Nathaniel Olympio, head of the Togolese Party, slammed international bodies that “validated fraudulent elections”. He highlighted that fewer than 70 observers were in the country.

Opposition attempts to protest against the reform were blocked by authorities. Political rallies have been banned in Togo since a 2022 attack on a market in Lome during which a military police officer was killed.

Gnassingbe, who rarely speaks publically, has sought to carve out a role as a regional mediator, serving as a go-between for military coup leaders in Niger and ECOWAS, and between Ivory Coast and Mali when tensions flared after Ivorian troops were detained in Mali.

France is keen to keep good relations with Togo after its military was forced out of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger following the military seized power on those countries. At the same, Gnassingbe has sought to widen his alliances, joining the Commonwealth in 2022 and nurturing good relations with Washington

AFP


Discover more from LN247

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Advertisement

Most Popular This Week

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

More from Author

Advertisement

Read Now

What A 2% VAT Increase Will Mean For An Average South African

The recent proposal to raise South Africa's Value-Added Tax (VAT) by 2% has ignited widespread debate among policymakers, economists, and citizens. To understand the potential effects of such an increase on the average South African, it's essential to explore the history of VAT in the country, its...

Ramaphosa Honors 14 Fallen South African Peacekeepers Repatriated from DRC

South Africa has welcomed home the remains of 14 peacekeepers who lost their lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). A solemn ceremony was held at the Air Force Base in Pretoria on Thursday to honor their bravery and sacrifice. President Cyril Ramaphosa led the tribute, commending...

92-year-old Cameroon’s President Eyes Re-election After 42 Years In Power

Cameroon’s President Paul Biya, the world’s oldest sitting head of state, celebrates his 92nd birthday on Thursday after over four decades in power. Despite speculation, he has yet to confirm whether he will seek an eighth term in the upcoming October elections. The deeply fragmented opposition and many...

Discover more from LN247

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading