Togo delays elections amid constitutional reform turmoil

The elections postponed due to constitutional reform, were initially scheduled for April 20. Electoral campaigns will begin on April 13 and end two days before the vote.

The constitutional reform approved by Togo's parliament in late March, aimed to transition the nation from a presidential to a parliamentary system. However, this move has stoked considerable debate and opposition.

The reform hands executive power to a figure similar to a prime minister, reducing the presidency to a largely symbolic role. Critics fear this could allow the current President, Faure Gnassingbé, to remain in power.

The Gnassingbé family has ruled Togo since a coup in 1967, with Faure Gnassingbé in power since 2005, succeeding his father, Gnassingbé Eyadéma who ruled for 38 years.

The government's decision to delay the elections is said to be a response to the need for more consultations over the reform, which has been met with resistance from opposition parties and civil society.

The opposition's concerns are not unfounded, given that they are poorly represented in Togo's parliament, which allowed the constitutional change to be approved almost unanimously - with only one legislator voting against and one other abstaining.

According to Sierra Leone Times, opposition coalitions, including the National Alliance for Change (ANC) party, have pledged to obstruct the passage of the bill into law and have called for demonstrations.

Nine opposition activists were detained last week for purportedly disturbing public order. They were released on April 9, with their spokesperson, Thomas Kokou Nsoukpoe, denouncing the arrests as arbitrary and abusive.

The Togolese government again on April 9, refused permission to a coalition of five opposition parties to stage a three-day protest against the legislative reform.

Authorities stated that the organisers of the planned rallies on April 11, had not applied for permits in due time, and permitting them would disrupt public order.

In a separate notice, the government declared the planned three-day protest over the arrest of opposition figures and the new legislation illegal, further heightening the situation.