Togo
Togo exhibits mid-range performance in Participation and Representation, and low range performance in Rights and the Rule of Law. Over the last five years, it has experienced significant improvements in Economic Equality, but its performance in Access to Justice and Freedom of Association has declined. It is a low-income country, with an economy heavily dependent on agriculture. It is one of the largest phosphate producers in the world.
Prior to colonization, the land that is today Togo was settled by various tribes, including the Kabye who came from the north and the Éwé from modern day Nigeria. It later became one of the primary slaving areas of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, which had a deep and lasting impact on its peoples. From the late 19th century until independence in 1960, it was at various points under the control of Germany, the United Kingdom, and finally France. Since 1967, the country has been ruled by two presidents: Gnassingbé Eyadéma (until 2005) and thereafter his son, Faure Gnassingbé. These leaders have maintained power through a combination of repression and patronage. The ruling party, Union Pour la République, holds a large majority of seats in the country’s unicameral parliament, the Assemblée Nationale Togolaise, and a new constitution promulgated in 2024 changed the political system in ways that critics fear will enable Faure Gnassingbé to indefinitely continue his rule.
For the general population, issues of development, democracy, and corruption loom large. The country performs poorly on key indices of development, as poor health and education inhibit Togo’s economic potential. While the government has made large-scale investments in infrastructure, it has not been able to lift the majority of the population out of poverty. Togo’s opposition began to hold rallies again in early 2023 after a two-year ban, criticizing the government for inaction on the worsening security situation in the North, which since 2021 has been plagued by a jihadist insurgency. Opposition parties also regularly refuse to recognize election results and call for protests against the government and its repressive tactics. Finally, corruption is a concern for Togolese citizens, as graft is widespread and financial scandals regularly erupt.
Issues of ethnic discrimination are salient in Togo, which has between 20 and 40 ethnic groups, depending on classification. Although citizens are guaranteed equality before the law, civil and military services have been dominated by northern ethnic groups, especially the President Gnassingbé’s Kabye tribe, that has been a recurring source of political tension and discrimination. In particular, the Éwé ethnic group, while the largest in the country, is underrepresented in positions of power and in the military.
Over the past two decades, Togo has seen improvements in Gender Equality. Recent progress includes new legal protections for women in the areas of family law, civil rights, criminal law and social security. However, women’s representation in public life remains low, and women continue to face widespread intimate partner violence. Furthermore, LGBTQIA+ people face discriminatory attitudes and criminalization of same-sex conduct.
Looking ahead, it will be important to monitor the impact of the changes brought about by the new constitution, particularly with regards to Representation. It will be important to watch Civil Liberties, following a recent escalation in government repression of civil society, political opponents and the media. The insecurity in the north of the country should also be monitored, as developments there have the potential to impact Togo’s performance across all Global State of Democracy Indices.
Last updated: July 2024
https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/
February 2025
Togo holds first Senate election as part of constitutional transition
On 15 February, Togo conducted its first Senate election, completing its transition to an ‘assembly independent’ political system, under constitutional reforms promulgated in 2024. Forty-one of the 61 Senators were indirectly elected by municipal and regional councillors. The remaining 20 senators were appointed by the President of the Council of Ministers, Faure Gnassingbé, on 5 March. According to Togo’s Electoral Commission, women senators will take up six of the 41 seats. The ruling Union for the Republic (Union pour la République - UNIR) secured 83.0 per cent (34 of 41) the indirectly elected seats, while smaller opposition parties won 17.0 per cent (7 of 41). Several major opposition groups, including the Alliance Nationale pour le Changement (ANC) and Forces Démocratiques pour la République (FDR), boycotted the vote while describing it as a “constitutional coup d’etat” due to concerns that the larger package of reforms of which this election was a part of allow President Faure Gnassingbé to remain in power indefinitely. Foreign media were not accredited to cover the election.
Sources: Commission Electorale Nationale Indépendante (1), Commission Electorale Nationale Indépendante (2), News Central, Jeune Afrique, Bloomberg, Barron’s, International IDEA
September 2024
Failure to protect opposition party conference sparks outrage
On 29 September, armed individuals disrupted a conference organized by the opposition party Convention Démocratique des Peuples Africains (CDPA) in Lomé, injuring several attendees, including MPs and journalists. Witnesses reported that security forces stationed near the venue did not intervene during the attack. The CDPA condemned the incident, calling it an attempt to silence opposition voices and erode democratic freedoms. The lack of intervention by security personnel raised concerns about violations of the rights to freedom of assembly and expression as well as safety.
Sources: Ici Lome, Amnesty International
May 2024
Togo promulgates controversial new constitution
On 6 May, President Faure Gnassingbé promulgated amendments to the country’s constitution which, among other things, changes its presidential political system to one that experts have categorised as ‘assembly independent.’ Under this system, the head of government (the newly created President of the Council of Ministers, PoCM) is selected by parliament and can only be removed by a three-quarters parliamentary majority, effectively shielding the PoCM from accountability. The new framework does not impose a term limit on the head of government, raising widespread concerns that it may enable Gnassingbé, who looks set to become the first PoCM, to indefinitely continue his rule. Procedural concerns have also been raised, with opposition parties criticising the government’s failure to subject the reforms to a referendum and the passage of the reforms after the formal end to the parliamentary term.
Sources: République Togolaise, Constitution Net (1), Constitution Net (2), The Conversation, Reuters
April 2024
Ruling party wins 96 per cent of seats in legislative elections
Togo’s legislative elections, originally scheduled for 13 April but held on 29 April, were won by President Faure Gnassingbé’s ruling party, the Union for the Republic (Union Pour la République, UNIR), with provisional results showing it had secured 108 (96 per cent) of the 113 seats in the National Assembly. The remaining five seats were split between three opposition parties. The seats were contested by 2,348 validated candidates, of whom 593 (25 per cent) were women. Togo’s electoral commission reported turnout to be 61 per cent of registered voters. The election was criticized by the opposition, who alleged numerous irregularities, including overvoting, delays to the start of voting and ballot stuffing. The leader of the Democratic Convention of African Peoples Party (Convention démocratique des peuples africains, CDPA) said that she intended to challenge the election results. The poll, however, received the approval of international observers from various regional organizations, including the African Union and the Economic Community of West African States, who despite noting minor concerns gave it a positive assessment.
Sources: Togo Officiel, Africa News, Voice of America, Radio France Internationale, Economic Community of West African States, Jeune Afrique
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