Opposition members and religious leaders argue that the legislation is an attempt by President Faure Gnassingbe, who has been in office since 2005, to extend his tenure. The bill was passed by lawmakers in March after their mandate expired and is now close to being implemented.
For 57 years, Togo has been under the rule of the same family, initially led by Eyadema Gnassingbe and then succeeded by his son, Faure Gnassingbe. Faure Gnassingbe assumed office following elections criticized by the opposition as fraudulent. They contend that the proposed new constitution increases the likelihood of Gnassingbe remaining in power after his mandate ends in 2025.
Ahead of Monday’s vote, authorities cracked down on civil and media freedoms. Earlier this month, protests against the proposed constitution were banned, and opposition figures were arrested. The electoral commission also prohibited the Catholic Church from deploying election observers.
In mid-April, a French journalist covering the elections was arrested, assaulted, and expelled. Togo’s media regulator subsequently suspended the accreditation process for foreign journalists.
Approximately 4.2 million Togolese were registered to vote in the country with a population of about 8 million. Voters were selecting candidates for 113 parliamentary seats, 22 more than in the previous assembly, and for the first time filling 179 senatorial positions. Preliminary results were expected within six days.
Togo’s authorities closed the borders on Monday for security reasons and deployed around 12,000 gendarmes and police officers to safeguard the voting process.
With a rise in the dissemination of misinformation during elections in West Africa, authorities cautioned against spreading false results or misleading information.
