(2 minutes read)
· Togo will go to the polls on February 22 to elect a new
president, the first election after carrying out constitutional
changes necessitated by the massive anti-government protests, which
lingered for more than three years
· Faure Gnassingbe is taking advantage of the prospective
applicability of the amendment. He was in office since 2005 and
already served three terms. Given that the law did not have
retrospective effect, Faure’s previous terms (2005-2020) will not
count. That would mean that if he wins the February 2020 polls, he is
eligible to contest again in 2025 for a final term
Togo will go to the polls on February 22 to elect a new president,
the first election after carrying out constitutional changes
necessitated by the massive anti-government protests, which lingered
for more than three years.
The incumbent President Faure Gnassingbe is also in the fray since a
person can be president for two terms. Each term is for a five year
period. Previously, there was no cap of the term and the law mandated
a candidate to run for as long as he/she wanted. The primary reason
for the prolonged protests was t on account of absence of a term
limit, which was taken advantage by the present incumbent. Though the
constitutional amendment has capped the term for two periods or a
president , on the ground nothing is going to change.
Faure Gnassingbe is taking advantage of the prospective applicability
of the amendment. He was in office since 2005 and already served three
terms. Given that the law did not have retrospective effect, Faure’s
previous terms (2005-2020) will not count. That would mean that if he
wins the February 2020 polls, he is eligible to contest again in 2025
for a final term.
Though the president is the frontrunner, it is likely that he would
face some stiff opposition from the party led by Jean-Pierre Fabre,
who was the leader of the protests that forced reforms especially on
term limits for the presidency. Former Prime Minister Professor
Agbeyome Kodjo who leads a coalition, is also in the fray.
