Africa

Togo president seeks to extend family rule into seventh decade

West African nation goes to polls after constitutional amendment that will allow Faure Gnassingbé to retain power

A woman walks past campaign posters in Lomé on Wednesday. Togolese go to the polls on April 29th to elect new lawmakers and the country's first regional representatives after the election date was postponed several times by the government and with political tensions high. Photograph: Dodo Adogli/AFP via Getty Images

Aanu Adeoye in Lagos
Thu Apr 25 2024 - 19:09

President Faure Gnassingbé will be able to extend his family’s rule over Togo into a seventh decade if voters in the west African country endorse his party in next week’s parliamentary elections.

Monday’s vote comes just over a week since a contentious decision by parliament to push through an amendment to the constitution that established a new prime minister-style position to be held by the leader of the biggest party.

Togo’s opposition decried the move as another power grab by Gnassingbé and his ruling Union for the Republic party aimed at getting around presidential term limits.

The party has a majority in the 91-seat National Assembly that it is expected to retain after the vote. This could allow Gnassingbé (57) to assume the new position under the formal title of president of the council of ministers when his current term ends next year.

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Gnassingbé has been president of Togo since 2005, the year he succeeded his father Gnassingbé Eyadéma. The army officer seized power in a 1967 military coup and ruled Togo for almost four decades until his death. The Gnassingbés have controlled the nation of 8.8 million people for the vast majority of the 64 years since it gained independence from France.

French President Emmanuel Macron receives his Togolese counterpart Faure Gnassingbé at the Elysee Palace in Paris in May 2023. Photograph: Mohammed Badra/EPA

Togo’s main opposition coalition have called for people to take to the streets to protest against the amendment, noting that the full text of the constitutional change had not been made public.

“What happened at the National Assembly ... is a coup d’état,” the group said in a statement, adding that it had “serious consequences for our country ... because the objective pursued is the confiscation of power by a clan and the presidency for life for one person”.

The opposition pledged that “large-scale action will be organised over the next few days to say ‘no’ to this constitution”.

The controversy in Togo comes at a time of democratic backsliding across west and central Africa, a region that has witnessed eight successful coups in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger and Gabon since 2020. Several leaders in the region including those in Ivory Coast, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo and Guinea – before its 2020 coup – have changed constitutions to extend their tenures.

The Economic Community of West African States, the regional bloc that has positioned itself as a champion of democracy and forcefully rejected the wave of coups, sent a delegation to Togo’s capital Lomé but otherwise has not commented on the developments.

Afolabi Adekaiyaoja, a researcher who studies west African democracy at the Centre for Democracy and Development think-tank, said: “It’s a clear reminder that not all democratic issues are tied to coups. In some cases, democratic leaders abuse the apparatus of state to further their ambitions and desires to stay in power.”

Gnassingbé has pushed through controversial constitutional reforms in the past. In 2019, parliament reimposed limits of two five-year terms on the presidency that was scrapped by the elder Gnassingbé 17 years earlier, but did not apply it retrospectively, allowing him to run in a highly contested election in 2020.

He is legally allowed to run again next year, but analysts say the new amendment meant it was unlikely that a vote would be held since parliament holds the power to choose the president. The amendment also set limits on the power of the presidency and makes the president of the council of ministers the most powerful person in government.

Komlan Avoulete, a Togo analyst, said that while a parliamentary system had benefits, “the manner of this change has fuelled concerns about the ruling party’s intent to consolidate power”.

He continued: “These developments raise doubts about the regime’s commitment to democratic ideals ... for Togo to establish a robust democracy, a genuine commitment to fair elections and transparent governance remains paramount, regardless of the adopted political structure.”

The US state department’s African affairs bureau said it was deeply concerned that “significant constitutional changes” had been approved by parliament without releasing the text to the Togolese people.

“We urge the government to allow open and informed debate, ensure inclusivity and transparency, and respect the right to peaceful assembly.”

Togolese authorities have in recent years clamped down on demonstrations and claimed this month that planned opposition protests would be a disturbance of public order. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2024

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