Togo leader’s new role sparks opposition outcry

Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbé has been appointed to the newly created position of President of the Council of Ministers, a role that lacks a fixed term limit, raising concerns over the potential for indefinite rule. The appointment was confirmed by Togo’s parliament on Saturday, with the legislature citing Gnassingbé’s position as leader of the majority party, UNIR.

The opposition, however, has labeled the move a “constitutional coup,” warning that it could extend Gnassingbé’s family’s rule over the West African nation indefinitely. Togo has been under the leadership of the Gnassingbé family since 1967, when Faure’s father, Gnassingbé Eyadéma, seized power in a coup. Faure succeeded his father in 2005 following his death.

Two opposition parties, the Democratic Forces for the Republic and the National Alliance for Change, who boycotted parliament, issued a joint statement condemning the appointment. They described it as an “institutional hold-up” orchestrated by a regime that seeks to avoid the will of the people. “This process is neither legal nor legitimate,” the statement declared, also signed by a civil society group.

Under the new title, Faure Gnassingbé will be tasked with coordinating government action, setting broad policy guidelines, and ensuring the implementation of decisions made by the Council of Ministers. The move has raised concerns about democratic backsliding in a region where several leaders have clung to power for decades, and where a recent wave of coups has rocked neighboring countries.

Parliament also appointed Jean-Lucien Kwassi Savi de Tove to the largely ceremonial position of national president, following constitutional reforms last year that diminished the role’s significance. Both the president’s party and parliament have yet to comment on the opposition’s allegations.

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