LOME, Togo
Togo's government on Wednesday postponed legislative elections due to be held April 20 until an unspecified date, shortly after lawmakers approved highly contested constitutional reforms.
The presidency said
"consultations" were needed over the changes that triggered
opposition claims the reforms passed in March aimed to keep President Faure
Gnassingbe in power in the West African nation.
In office since 2005 after
succeeding his father, Gnassingbe Eyadema, who seized power in a coup 50 years
ago, Gnassingbe has won every election, though the opposition has always
claimed results were marred by irregularities.
After a week of tensions over
the reform, Gnassingbe sent the law back to the National Assembly for a second
reading with the opposition claiming it was a power grab to keep him in office.
"The National Assembly
wished to have some days to engage in broad consultations with all
stakeholders," said a presidency statement on the election delay.
"Consequently, the
government will conduct a slight rearrangement of the calendar of legislative
and regional elections initially scheduled for April 20." No new date was
given.
Togo's parliament, dominated
by Gnassingbe's UNIR party, adopted the law that would switch Togo from a
presidential to a parliamentary system, giving the assembly the power to elect
the president for a single six-year term.
Assembly members would elect
the president "without debate," according to the new constitution.
The law also creates the post
of "president of the council of ministers" as a type of designated
prime minister who will have power over the government. The post is also
elected by lawmakers.
It is unclear if the
president's single term could be renewed later, but the reform sparked
opposition fears of indefinite rule by Gnassingbe.
Togo's opposition parties did
not immediately react to Wednesday's decision, which was read out on state
television as breaking news.
Tensions have mounted over the
constitutional reform, with police breaking up an opposition news conference
last month, claiming it did not have authorisation.
Almost 100 university
academics, intellectuals, artists, political figures and civil society actors
also signed an appeal calling on people to "mobilize" and reject what
they called an abuse of power.
The editor of a Togolese
newspaper was also arrested as media watchdogs warned of a press clampdown
ahead of the elections.
Sources in Washington told AFP
that US officials have asked Gnassingbe to ensure that the situation is settled
"peacefully and democratically."
The Togo Bishops' Conference
called on the president to delay promulgating the new constitution and start
"an inclusive political dialogue."
In 2019, members of parliament
revised the constitution to limit presidential terms to two, but it did not
apply retrospectively, leaving Gnassingbe free to stand for the next two
elections.
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