The political drama in neighbouring Republic of Togo with allegations by the opposition that President Faure Gnassigbe intends to extend his 19-year stay in power continues to reverberate across the West African nation of about eight million people.
This follows the constitution reform which will make Togo transit from presidential to a parliamentary system of government.
The lawmakers had given final approval late on Friday, just days before the April 29 Parliamentary Election in the country.
Some opposition politicians and civil society groups have denounced it as a constitutional coup, geared towards elongating Faure Gnassigbe’s stay in power.
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How did we get here?
Togo’s parliament had on the March 25 adopted the reforms, but an opposition backlash led President Faure Gnassingbe to call for further consultations and a second parliamentary vote.
And now it has sailed through a parliament wholly dominated by the President’s party members, as the opposition had boycotted the last legislative elections four years ago.
Togo’s President will no longer be elected directly by the electorate, but by members of parliament,.
The reform introduces a parliamentary system of government and also shortens presidential terms to four years from five with a two-term limit.
But is this route novel in Togo? Not exactly so. The father of the current President, Gnassigbe Eyadema, from whom he inherited power in 2005, always got back to the Presidential Palace through manipulation of the system, routing of the opposition and jailing of critics, even after Togo adopted multi-party democracy in the early 1990’s after he had been in power since 1967 following a coup.
So Faure is simply following his father’s footsteps, albeit with a style couched in political sophistry.
Ever as the ruling UNIP party says Togo has “turned a new page on its way towards a more inclusive and participatory democracy”, the fact is that a systematic manipulation of the political system is what has occurred in Togo.
At the moment mum is it from the West African bloc ECOWAS. It has often said it does not meddle in the internal affairs of its member-states, except when constitutional order is affected.
But if what occurred in Senegal is a pointer, then ECOWAS may need to come in and demand the situation in Togo is critically looked into to avert, what sub-regional group fears which is the usurpation of civilian leaders by coupists as witnessed in Guinea and Mali, when incumbents twicked the laws to remain in office.
Several other African countries, including the Central African Republic, Rwanda, Republic of the Cong and Ivory Coast pushed through constitutional and other legal changes in recent years allowing Presidents to extend their terms in office
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
