Togo
Togo exhibits mid-range performance in all categories of the Global State of Democracy framework. Over the last five years, it has experienced significant improvements in the Rule of Law and Predictable Enforcement but its performance in Freedom of the Press has deteriorated. Togo is a low-income country, with an economy heavily dependent on agriculture. It is one of the largest phosphate producers in the world.
The land that is today Togo was long dominated by a variety of West African kingdoms and later became known as the “Slave Coast.” From the late 19th century until independence in 1960, Togo was at various points under the control of Germany, the United Kingdom, and finally France. Togo has been ruled by two presidents since 1967: Gnassingbé Eyadéma (until 2005) and his son, Faure Gnassingbé, since then. These leaders have held onto power through strategies of repression and patronage; the ruling party holds a large majority of legislative seats. Despite the relative weakness of opposition parties, they have been able to influence the national conversation from time to time, particularly with regards to term limits. Nevertheless, a 2019 reform allows the current president to maintain his office until 2030.
For the Togolese people, the principle issues are development, democracy, and corruption. 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. Opposition parties also regularly refuse to recognize election results and call for protests against the government and its repressive tactics. Finally, corruption is a major concern for Togolese citizens, as graft is widespread and financial scandals regularly erupt.
Issues of discrimination are salient in Togo. Having between 20 and 40 ethnic groups, Togo is an ethnically diverse country. Although citizens are guaranteed equality before the law, civil and military services have been dominated by northern ethnic groups, especially the Kabye tribe, which 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.
In terms of Gender Equality, Togo has seen improvements over the past two decades. Recent developments include reforms that provide a legislative framework to improve women’s rights in the area of social protection, inheritance and criminal law. 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.
Over the coming years, it will be important to watch Personal Integrity and Security, considering the recent in northern Togo – driven by events in neighboring West African countries. Rule of Law should also be monitored given the recent.
https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/
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
April 2023
State of emergency in northern region extended
A state of emergency in the region of Savanes in the north of Togo has been extended for another year by the legislature. The state of emergency was first declared by President Faure Gnassingbé in June 2022 in response to violence perpetrated by jihadist groups operating out of Burkina Faso. Such attacks have continued over the last year. The state of emergency aims to preserve the integrity and security of the national territory and allows the military and police to restrict movement and assembly, and to question individuals who they believe to present a security threat.
Sources: Togo Officiel, AfricaNews, eNews Channel Africa
See all event reports for this country
GSoD Indices Data 2014-2023
Basic Information
Human Rights Treaties
State party
Signatory
No action
Performance by category over the last 6 months
Election factsheets
Global State of Democracy Indices
Hover over the trend lines to see the exact data points across the years
Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time
Use the slider below to see how democratic performance has changed over time
