Political situation Sluggish reforms and internal tensions
Copyright© Isidore Akollor/IRIN via The New Humanitarian
Voters in Togo at the 2013 parliamentary elections
The policy pursued by President Faure Gnassingbé, who has been in office since 2005, is generally geared towards development. The government is working to improve key social areas such as education, health and infrastructure and to enhance the business climate. The current government programme (Feuille de route Gouvernementale Togo 2025) explicitly takes up the goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the Agenda 2063 of the African Union.
In 2019, Togo created or defined 117 new municipalities and held local elections. In 2024, elections were held in the newly created five regions. The resulting decentralisation and devolution of power and decision-making authority are intended to strengthen democratic structures and give citizens more options for political and social participation.
In the last few years, there has been a trend towards restricting fundamental democratic freedoms such as freedom of assembly and the right to demonstrate – first in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and then with reference to the state of emergency because of the terrorist threat from the Sahel, which had first only been declared in the northern part of the country and then throughout Togo.
Generally, Togo has been playing a stabilising role within West Africa. The government is working actively for close regional cooperation. During conflicts in the region, the country has repeatedly acted as a mediator. Togo is itself experiencing an increasing spillover of terrorist violence from the Sahel region. Since 2021, there have been a number of terrorist attacks in the northern area bordering on Burkina Faso. There have been civilian casualties.
Election victories of the governing party
Many opposition forces have voiced doubts in the legitimacy of the government. There were nationwide protests in 2017 and 2018. Protesters' main demand was to limit the power of the president and to prevent Faure Gnassingbé from serving for a fourth term. With mediation efforts by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), a roadmap was drafted to overcome the crisis. In line with the agreement reached, parliamentary elections were held in December 2018, which were however boycotted by large sections of the opposition.
In the presidential elections in 2020, Faure Gnassingbé was re-elected. He won 71 per cent of the vote in the first round.
His party, the Union pour la République (UNIR), won the parliamentary elections in April 2024 by a wide margin, gaining 108 of the 113 seats in the National Assembly. UNIR was also the clear winner of the first-ever regional elections (137 of 179 seats). African Union and ECOWAS election monitors expressed satisfaction with the elections. However, Togo's official electoral commission did not allow the Catholic Church to send its own independent election monitors. Following an incident with a critical French journalist and his expulsion from Togo prior to the election, Togo temporarily suspended the accreditation of foreign journalists.
Controversial constitutional amendment
Prior to the 2024 parliamentary elections, which had been postponed several times, protests erupted in response to a controversial constitutional amendment that had been adopted by Parliament in March 2024. It envisages a shift from a presidential system to a parliamentary democracy. The president will no longer be elected directly by the people but by parliament, for a single term of six years. Many powers will be transferred from the president to the president of the Council of Ministers. According to a communication from the Togolese parliament, this newly created post of head of government is to be assumed by the chair of the party or coalition that holds the majority of seats in parliament.
The opposition and parts of civil society regard the constitutional amendment as an attempt by President Gnassingbé to retain his power, as he could assume this new post after his term as president ends. Criticism has also been raised because the amendments were adopted without any public debate and because they were not approved by the people in a referendum, even though that would have been mandatory under the constitution. Several political parties and civil society groups have submitted the constitutional amendment to the ECOWAS court for review.
Historical background
People have been living around the Gulf of Guinea for many centuries. However, the country now known as Togo was not established until the end of the 19th century. At the time, the German Empire made the territory a colony. The borders were defined by various colonial powers that were present in the region at the time. Following World War I, Togo was divided into French and British administrative zones. The British area in the west was integrated into Ghana in 1957, while the French-ruled region in the east became partially autonomous and then fully independent as the Republic of Togo in 1960. The population consists of more than 40 different ethnic groups.
In 1967, Gnassingbé Eyadéma seized power in a military coup. He ruled the country for nearly 40 years, in an increasingly dictatorial fashion. In 1993, the international donor community suspended its support for Togo because of massive human rights violations. The economic and social impacts of the period of dictatorship and international isolation can still be felt today.
After the death of Eyadéma in 2005, his son Faure Gnassingbé was installed by the military as the new head of state. In response to international pressure, an – extremely controversial – presidential election was held that same year, which was won by Gnassingbé. He was then confirmed in office in internationally recognised elections in 2010, 2015 and 2020.