(3 Minutes Read)
Togo’s ruling Union for the Republic party (UNIR) has won a sweeping majority in the country’s legislative elections held on 29 April. Provisional results published by the electoral commission showed it had won 108 out of the 113 seats in parliament
The results of the polling in Togo are on the expected lines. As reported by www.trendsnafrica.com earlier, Togo’s ruling Union for the Republic party (UNIR) has won a sweeping majority in the country’s legislative elections held on 29 April. Based on trends, www. Trendsnafrica.com has reported about the overwhelming victory of the ruling party. Now the provisional results published by the electoral commission corroborate that. The results show that the ruling party won 108 out of the 113 seats in parliament.
There was heightened political tension during the elections triggered by a controversial new constitution. This was compounded by a series of crackdowns on opposition protests. The incumbent President Faure Gnassingbé now can extend his 19-year rule. In the new dispensation, he will be sworn in as the of president of the council of ministers, a role similar to the prime minister that is automatically assumed by the leader of the majority party in parliament. Under the previous constitution, Gnassingbé would have been able to run for president just one more time. This would have potentially allowed him to stay on as head of state, for a five-year term starting in 2025.
Read Also;
https://trendsnafrica.com/togos-ruling-party-wins-overwhelming-parliament-majority/
Opposition parties say the new post will allow him to avoid these terms limits and extend his family’s decades-long grip on power, as long UNIR continues winning most seats in the national assembly. Regional observers have said that on the whole they were satisfied with how the election was conducted, but opposition parties have denounced what they say were irregularities in the vote.
