{"id":4321,"date":"2024-04-20T20:01:22","date_gmt":"2024-04-20T20:01:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=4321"},"modified":"2024-04-20T20:01:22","modified_gmt":"2024-04-20T20:01:22","slug":"togo-approves-constitutional-reform-changing-how-president-is-elected","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=4321","title":{"rendered":"Togo approves constitutional reform changing how President is elected"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>3 Minute, 1 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>

Lawmakers in Togo have approved changes to the constitution linked to presidential term limits and how presidents are elected, which some opposition politicians and civil society groups have denounced as a constitutional coup. <\/p>\n

Togo\u2019s Parliament had already adopted\u00a0the amendments\u00a0on March 25, but the reforms led to an opposition backlash so President Faure Gnassingbe called for further consultations and a second parliamentary vote.<\/p>\n

The lawmakers gave final approval to the reform late on Friday, just days before the April 29 legislative elections that had also been pushed back due to the issues around the constitutional amendments.<\/p>\n

The second reading was passed with all 87 politicians present agreeing to the new system, under which the president will no longer be elected by universal suffrage, but by members of parliament.<\/p>\n

The amendments also introduced a parliamentary system of government and shortened presidential terms to four years from five with a two-term limit.<\/p>\n

It does not take into account the time already spent in office, which could enable Gnassingbe to stay in power until 2033 if he is re-elected in 2025, a highly likely scenario as his party controls parliament.<\/p>\n

Those opposed to the changes fear they could allow further extensions of the President\u2019s 19-year rule and his family\u2019s grip on power. <\/p>\n

His father and predecessor, Gnassingbe Eyadema seized power in the coastal West African country via a coup in 1967.<\/p>\n

In a statement on Saturday, the Dynamique Pour la Majorit\u00e9 du Peuple (DMP) opposition coalition and other signatories said the constitutional changes were a political manoeuvre to allow Gnassingbe to extend his tenure for life.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat happened at the National Assembly yesterday is a coup d\u2019etat,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLarge-scale action will be organised over the next few days to say \u2018no\u2019 to this constitution.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

\u2018To preserve power by any means\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cTogo has just turned a new page on its way towards a more inclusive and participatory democracy. This is a satisfaction and a source of pride for us,\u201d Koumealo Anate, a lawmaker from Gnassingbe\u2019s ruling UNIR party, told reporters after Friday\u2019s vote.<\/p>\n

However, a group of 17 civil society organisations said the amendments amount to a \u201cproject to \u2026 confiscate power by a regime that is systematically opposed to any form of democratic change\u201d, in a joint statement they issued this week. They also called on West Africa\u2019s main political and economic bloc ECOWAS to take action in response.<\/p>\n

\u201cTime has shown us that the major concern of his regime is to preserve power by any means,\u201d Nathaniel Olympio, president of the opposition party Parti des Togolais, told the AFP news agency before the vote.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe function of president of the council gives someone the latitude to exercise power in an unlimited manner, so logically we believe that this is the position that he will hold for himself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several other African countries, including the Central African Republic, Rwanda, Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast and Guinea, have pushed through constitutional and other legal changes in recent years allowing presidents to extend their terms in office.<\/p>\n

The West and Central African region has also witnessed eight military coups in the past three years.<\/p>\n

Violent police crackdowns on political demonstrations have been routine under Gnassingbe, as they were during his father\u2019s long rule.<\/p>\n

Faure Gnassingbe was last re-elected in a 2020 landslide disputed by the opposition.<\/p>\n

The new constitution also creates a new role, president of the council of ministers, with extensive authority to manage government affairs.<\/p>\n

ALSO READ:<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a>Togo postpones elections after new constitution row<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

ECOWAS sends fact-finding mission to Togo ahead of elections<\/strong><\/a><\/p>

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