Voters in Togo participated in parliamentary elections on Monday to determine support for a proposed new constitution that would eliminate presidential elections and allow lawmakers to choose the president. The opposition and religious leaders believe this move is an attempt by President Faure Gnassingbe to extend his rule, as he has been in office since 2005. The legislation was passed by lawmakers in March after their mandate expired, and it is close to being enacted. The country has been under the rule of the same family for 57 years, first by Eyadema Gnassingbe and then his son, Faure Gnassingbe. Opposition groups fear that the new constitution will allow Gnassingbe to remain in power beyond his mandate expiration in 2025.
Ahead of the elections, the Togolese authorities cracked down on civic and media freedoms, banning protests against the proposed new constitution and arresting opposition figures. The electoral commission also prohibited the Catholic Church from deploying election observers. In mid-April, a French journalist who arrived to cover the elections was arrested, assaulted, and expelled, prompting Togo’s media regulator to suspend the accreditation process for foreign journalists. Opposition party candidate Jean-Pierre Fabre expressed concerns about the low voter turnout and fairness of the electoral process, emphasizing that they are participating in the elections because they have no alternative.
Approximately 4.2 million Togolese were registered to vote in the country with a population of about 8 million. Voters were selecting candidates for 113 parliamentary seats, 22 more than in the previous assembly, and for the first time filling 179 senatorial positions. Preliminary results were expected within six days of the election. Togo’s authorities took stringent security measures, sealing the borders on the day of the election and deploying around 12,000 gendarmes and police officers to ensure the safety of the voting process. Amid an increase in the spread of disinformation during elections in West Africa, authorities warned against disseminating false results or misleading news to the public.
One voter, Kpedji Kossi Nicabou Sena, expressed his concerns about the proposed changes to the constitution and highlighted the importance of the current vote for the country. Another citizen, Yao Alexandre Adabrah, who returned from abroad to vote, echoed these concerns, noting that the consequences of the new constitution are still unclear. The situation in Togo remains tense as the opposition and many citizens worry about the implications of the proposed new constitution and the potential for President Faure Gnassingbe to extend his rule beyond 2025. The outcome of the parliamentary elections will determine the future direction of the country and its political landscape.
