Togo's Contested Constitution Reform Back In Parliament For Review

Lome, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Mar, 2024) Togo's leader Faure Gnassingbe has sent a controversial constitutional reform that would allow lawmakers to elect the president back to parliament for "a second reading", a government minister announced Friday.

The law, adopted by parliament on Monday, has been denounced by opposition parties as a power grab by Gnassingbe, in power since 2005, ahead of legislative and regional elections on April 20.

Lawmakers in the West African country approved the switch from a presidential to a parliamentary system, giving parliament the power to elect the president for a single six-year term.

But it remains unclear if the term can be renewed, sparking fears of an indefinite rule for Gnassingbe, who succeeded his father General Gnassingbe Eyadema, who had seized power in a coup more than 50 years ago.

"All things being subject to improvement, and given the interest generated in the population since its adoption, the president today asked the National Assembly president to hold a second reading on the law," government spokeswoman Yawa Kouigan said in a televised address.

Gnassingbe has already been re-elected three times in elections that opposition groups say were marred by irregularities.

Tensions quickly mounted over the constitutional reform, with police this week breaking up an opposition news conference amid a backlash over the change.

The editor of a Togolese newspaper was also arrested on Thursday, as media watchdogs warned of a press clampdown ahead of the coming elections.

Sources in Washington told AFP that US government officials have asked Gnassingbe to ensure that "the current situation is settled peacefully and democratically".