On Monday, in a peaceful atmosphere, Togolese citizens went to the polls to elect their deputies and regional councillors. This election comes just after a constitutional reform, criticised by the opposition, which sees it as Faure Gnassingbe’s desire to remain in power.
Counting operations began at the end of the day in the polling stations, with the Electoral Commission announcing that the provisional results would be revealed during the night.
The results will then have to be validated by the Constitutional Court, in accordance with the electoral code, which stipulates a six-day deadline for their announcement.
In Lomé, the capital, voting took place without incident, with a relatively low turnout according to AFP journalists on the ground.
Togo, a small country of 8.8 million people, has been ruled by the Gnassingbe family since the 1960s. Faure Gnassingbe, the current president, succeeded his father Eyadema Gnassingbe in 2005, after nearly 38 years in power.
In a tense political context, marked by the recent adoption of a new Constitution, this dual legislative and regional election is of particular importance. The constitutional reform of 19 April transformed the country’s system of governance from a presidential to a parliamentary system.
From now on, power lies in the hands of the President of the Council of Ministers, who will be the leader of the majority party in the Assembly. Faure Gnassingbe, as current president of the majority party, UNIR, could immediately take up this new position and remain in power without term limits, prompting criticism from the opposition that this was an ‘institutional coup d’état’.
Togolese voters, many of whom are young, were called upon to make their choice against a backdrop of persistent socio-economic challenges, particularly in rural areas, despite a slight reduction in the poverty rate in recent years.
On the economic front, Togo is maintaining stable growth, mainly in services and agro-industry, but it also has to contend with the jihadist threat, with regular attacks in the north of the country.
A total of 113 deputies to the National Assembly and, for the first time, 179 regional councillors are due to be elected. The latter, together with the municipal councillors, will appoint the new Senate.
For the UNIR party, the constitutional reform aims to make the governing bodies more representative of the Togolese people.
At 57, Faure Gnassingbe has already won four elections, all of them contested by the opposition. Under the old constitution, he would have had to stand for the presidency only once, in 2025.
Faced with criticism of the new Constitution, the authorities adopted a stricter stance in the run-up to the elections, banning all demonstrations against the reform and limiting the number of election observers. The foreign press has also been temporarily restricted in its coverage of the elections, while the Ministers of Justice and Security have warned against the publication of rigged election results or false information.
Togo: parliamentary elections initial results expected
