Togo's Parliament Approves Constitutional Reform for Ceremonial Presidency

Ahead of the new April 29 date for parliamentary elections, the controversial constitutional reform that makes the presidency an office selected by parliament has now been ratified. The house had initially adopted the reform late last month, but widespread criticism of the bill by opposition groups sent the bill back for a second reading, leading to the elections being pushed back again.

All 87 MPs were present at the second reading and voted in favor of its constitutional adoption. This has sparked calls for protests from opposition parties, who believe this move will allow President Faure Gnassingbé to stay in office for at least six more years after his current term ends in 2025, despite low public support.

The government banned planned protests against the reforms earlier this month, and will be on high alert in the coming days, as many are already airing their dissatisfaction at the reform’s passing. According to opposition leaders, Gnassingbé is all but guaranteed to be president till at least 2033 by a parliament that’s overwhelmingly dominated by the ruling party.

On paper, Togo has been running an uninterrupted democracy for nearly 50 years. However, it has been ruled by just two presidents since consecutive elections were held starting from 1979. In 2005, Faure Gnassingbé came into office on controversial terms, replacing his father Gnassingbé Eyadéma, who ruled the country from 1967, starting with a coup and then retaining power for five more terms, till his death.

Last month, Togolese lawmakers adopted a new constitution change that greatly reduces the powers of the president to a ceremonial role, while lengthening the tenure to six years, but for a single term. It’s the second major constitutional change in five years, after a two-term limit was put in place for presidents back in 2019. As the change did not apply retrospectively, it meant that Faure Gnassingbé was eligible to run for two more 5-year terms after already spending 15 years in power.

Now, under the new system, presidents will be selected by parliament “without debate,” instead of being elected by the public, while executive power will be held by a “president of the council of ministers.” This signals the West African country’s move to a parliamentary system of government. It is, however, unclear when this new law will take effect. According to the new law, the “president of the council of ministers” will either be “the leader of the party which secures the majority during the legislative elections” or the leader of the winning coalition of parties. They will also serve a six-year term.

The constitution change passed with almost no opposition, as only one MP voted against the bill and another abstained. Dominated by the ruling party, Union for the Republic, opposition parties were not represented in the votes, as there were mass boycotts during the previous parliamentary elections, a regular occurrence in a country where elections are marred by violence and rampant allegations of irregularities.