Togolese leader Faure Gnassingbé was sworn in as the President of the Council of Ministers during a ceremony in Lomé, the capital of Togo.
The new position was established following a controversial constitutional reform approved by Togo’s parliament on April 19, 2024, which transitioned the country from a presidential to a parliamentary system.
The role of President of the Council of Ministers is now the highest office in the government’s executive branch, overseeing the cabinet and holding significant decision-making authority, with no official term limits outlined in the new constitution.
Gnassingbé, aged 58, has served as Togo’s president since 2005, following the death of his father, Gnassingbé Eyadéma, who ruled the West African nation for 38 years.
Under the revised constitution, the presidency has been relegated to a largely ceremonial role, elected by parliament for a single six-year term, while the President of the Council of Ministers assumes executive power.
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The constitutional changes were passed by a parliament dominated by Gnassingbé’s Union for the Republic (UNIR) party, which secured 108 out of 113 seats in the legislative elections held on April 29, 2024.
The swearing-in ceremony was attended by several regional dignitaries, including representatives from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and was broadcast live on national television.
Gnassingbé took the oath of office before the Constitutional Court, pledging to uphold the new constitution and serve the Togolese people.
The reform has sparked debates across the country, with some citizens and opposition groups expressing concerns over the lack of term limits for the new position.
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This latest change results from a new constitution approved by lawmakers last year, labelled by critics and opposition figures as an “institutional coup d’état”.
