Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbe has assumed the newly created and powerful role of President of the Council of Ministers, a position with no fixed term limit, according to a statement from the Togolese parliament. The move has been denounced by opposition parties as a “constitutional coup” that could extend Gnassingbe’s rule indefinitely.
The new position for Gnassingbe, whose family has ruled Togo since 1967, raises concerns about democratic regression in a region facing political instability and where some leaders have remained in power for decades.
Gnassingbe secured the role on Saturday by virtue of being the leader of the majority party, according to the National Assembly.
Jean-Lucien Kwassi Savi de Tove was appointed as the national president, a position previously held by Gnassingbe. However, constitutional reforms last year significantly downgraded the national president’s powers, making the role largely ceremonial.
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Two opposition parties, the Democratic Forces for the Republic and the National Alliance for Change, condemned the move in a joint statement, calling it a “constitutional coup.” The parties, which boycott parliament, stated that the process was neither legal nor legitimate and accused the government of orchestrating an “institutional hold-up.”
Gnassingbe’s UNIR party and Togo’s National Assembly have not yet responded to requests for comment.
According to the Togolese presidency’s website, the President of the Council of Ministers is responsible for coordinating government action, setting policy guidelines, and ensuring the implementation of decisions made by the Council of Ministers.
Togo’s presidency has been held by the Gnassingbe family since 1967, when Faure Gnassingbe’s father, Gnassingbe Eyadema, seized power in a coup. Faure Gnassingbe succeeded his father upon his death in 2005.
