Togo President Gnassingbé Takes New Role, Faces Coup Allegations

Faure Gnassingbé has been appointed as Togo’s first President of the Council of Ministers, a newly created executive role with no term limits, consolidating his power after nearly six decades of family rule. This appointment follows constitutional reforms replacing presidential elections with a parliamentary system, relegating the presidency to a ceremonial position while granting sweeping executive authority to the Council President. The reforms, backed by Gnassingbé’s party, which holds an overwhelming parliamentary majority, have been denounced by opposition groups and civil society as an 'institutional coup' designed to entrench lifelong rule and erode democratic checks and balances. Critics argue that the changes formalize one-party rule and follow a regional pattern of leaders manipulating constitutions to prolong their reigns. Despite initial public backlash and temporary suspension of some reforms, the changes are now in effect, with the upcoming municipal elections in July serving as the first test of the new system. Gnassingbé’s government defends the reforms as modernization, but opposition voices remain largely marginalized.