– The ruling party wins the majority in the Assembly
Monday’s legislative elections in Togo have finally delivered their verdict. It is the ruling party of President Faure Gnassingbé which wins the majority of seats.
Published today at 1:22 a.m.
In the middle, President Faure Gnassingbé.
AFP
The party of Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé wins the majority of seats in the National Assembly following Monday’s legislative elections, the Togolese Electoral Commission announced Saturday evening.
A total of 108 seats of deputies out of 113 go to the presidential party, the Union for the Republic (Unir), according to the provisional results, announced the president of the Independent National Electoral Commission (Ceni), Dago Yabré, Saturday evening in Lomé after a countdown broadcast live on the national television channel The participation rate was 61%, according to the Ceni.
These results, which have yet to be confirmed by the Constitutional Court, sign an undisputed victory for the party of President Faure Gnassingbé, in power since 2005 following his father who remained at the head of state for almost 38 years. This should ensure that he remains the master of Togo’s destiny for at least the next six years.
The country switches to a parliamentary regime
Because according to the new Constitution adopted on April 19 by the outgoing deputies, the country switches from a presidential regime to a parliamentary regime. Power resides in the hands of a president of the Council of Ministers, who is automatically the leader of the majority party in the National Assembly. Which is the case for Faure Gnassingbé, president of Unir.
This constitutional reform has been strongly criticized by the Togolese opposition and civil society organizations who denounce an “institutional coup d’état” and see it as a way for Faure Gnassingbé to remain in power. This one, according to the previous Constitution, could only have run for one last term in 2025.
The opposition claims that the abolition of direct suffrage to elect the head of state will allow the latter to be reappointed indefinitely as long as his party wins the legislative elections. For the ruling party, on the contrary, constitutional reform makes the authorities more representative.
AFP
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