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Lomé, Togo — President Faure Gnassingbé has been officially sworn in as the head of Togo’s new parliamentary system, assuming the role of President of the Council, the country’s most powerful executive office.
The move comes after sweeping constitutional changes that have redefined the political architecture of the West African nation, eliminating direct presidential elections and transferring executive authority to a parliamentary body dominated by Gnassingbé’s ruling party.
Saturday’s ceremony was as symbolic as it was strategic.
Standing before the Constitutional Council, Gnassingbé raised his right hand and solemnly pledged allegiance to Article 47 of the newly adopted constitution.
Outside the halls of government, jubilant supporters rallied, their chants echoing approval, as military officials publicly reaffirmed their loyalty to the longtime leader.
The transition to the new political order was no surprise.
Earlier that day, the National Assembly, where the president’s Union for the Republic (Unir) party holds 108 of 113 seats, confirmed Gnassingbé’s appointment.
The Senate, likewise controlled with 34 out of 41 seats, provided no resistance.
With a parliamentary supermajority, Gnassingbé’s grip on the legislative and now executive reins appears absolute.
This shift follows the April 2024 constitutional overhaul that effectively dissolved the system of direct presidential elections.
In the revised structure, the president becomes a ceremonial figurehead, while true power resides with the President of the Council.
Opposition figures have condemned the change as a legal smokescreen for entrenched autocracy.
“The orchestrated rape of the conscience of every Togolese,” said Nathaniel Olympio of the Don’t Touch My Constitution Front.
Many in civil society view the reform as a direct assault on democratic values and the will of the people.
The opposition, though politically sidelined, has not given up.
Despite boycotting recent parliamentary and senatorial elections — which further consolidated Unir’s power — they have vowed to participate in municipal elections on July 10.
These local contests are seen as a last chance to reclaim influence in a system increasingly skewed in favor of the executive.
Meanwhile, international observers were notably absent from the electoral process, raising concerns about transparency and fairness.
The result is a democratic façade that critics argue masks a consolidation of familial rule.
Faure Gnassingbé, the son of late President Gnassingbé Eyadéma, who ruled Togo for 38 years, has now surpassed two decades in power.
At 58, his leadership is poised to continue under the auspices of a Fifth Republic that many fear will cement dynastic governance rather than usher in democratic reform.
As the country steps into this new chapter, questions remain about the durability of political dissent and the possibility of meaningful checks on executive authority in a system so thoroughly dominated by one man and his party.
