Togolese People Head to Polls in Parliamentary Elections

Togolese voters headed to the polls on Monday to cast their votes for a new parliament following the enactment of a new law that will see the assembly elect the country’s leader going forward. Ratified in March, the new charter established a parliamentary system of governance in the Francophone country that empowers the assembly to elect a “president of the council of ministers” tasked with managing the country’s affairs. The reform, pushed for by Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbe, has been described by critics as an attempt to extend his 19-year hold on power, especially since it doesn’t factor in time already spent in office.

SOURCE: VOANEWS