Faith Nyasuguta
Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbe has been appointed to a powerful new role as President of the Council of Ministers, an office with no term limits. The move, confirmed by the National Assembly, has sparked outrage from opposition groups who say it’s a calculated effort to keep Gnassingbe in power for life.
The newly created position places Gnassingbe at the helm of government operations, allowing him to coordinate national policy and oversee implementation of decisions. According to the presidency, it is the highest executive role under the country’s revised constitution, which has significantly weakened the powers of the president and transitioned Togo into a parliamentary system.
Gnassingbe’s family has already held a firm grip on the country for nearly six decades. His father, Gnassingbe Eyadema, ruled for 38 years before his death in 2005, at which point Faure took over. Now in his fourth term as president, Faure Gnassingbe’s latest political maneuver is being widely seen as an attempt to extend this dynastic rule even further.
Opposition parties, the Democratic Forces for the Republic and the National Alliance for Change have denounced the appointment as a “constitutional coup.” They argue that the creation of the role was designed to bypass term limits and suppress democracy. Both parties have boycotted the National Assembly in protest.
Togo’s situation echoes a broader pattern seen across Africa, where several leaders have clung to power for decades. Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea is the world’s longest-serving president, having been in office since 1979. Cameroon’s Paul Biya has ruled since 1982, and Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni since 1986. In Congo-Brazzaville, Denis Sassou Nguesso has governed for over 38 years combined. Such extended tenures often involve constitutional amendments, election tampering, or military backing, methods many critics believe undermine democratic institutions.
The growing trend of indefinite leadership has contributed to political unrest across the continent, with recent coups in Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso linked partly to disillusionment with entrenched elites.
Togo’s next test will come in July during its municipal elections, the first under the new constitution. But with the ruling party firmly in control and opposition voices increasingly sidelined, many fear the democratic process is quickly fading into formality.
Gnassingbe’s new post may be the clearest signal yet: in Togo, the era of dynastic, indefinite rule is far from over.
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