Togo’s Faure Gnassingbé’s New Role Sparks Fears of Lifetime Rule

Faure Gnassingbé, Togo’s long-standing leader, has been inaugurated as President of the Council of Ministers—the country’s new top executive role with no term limits. The development follows a controversial constitutional reform that critics say was designed to extend Gnassingbé’s time in office indefinitely. The reform scrapped presidential elections and introduced a parliamentary system. Gnassingbé’s family has ruled Togo for 58 years, with the younger Gnassingbé taking over from his father, the late Eyadéma Gnassingbé, in 2005. Though the role of “president of the republic” is now ceremonial, analysts argue Gnassingbé’s influence has only deepened. Backed by a dominant parliament, his new position effectively enables him to rule indefinitely, sparking fears of an “institutional coup” under the guise of legal reform.

BBC