Togo has officially transitioned to a parliamentary system with the appointment of Faure Gnassingbé as President of the Council on Saturday, May 3, 2025. This appointment, confirmed by the National Assembly in a plenary session, is part of the implementation of the new Constitution promulgated on May 6, 2024, which establishes the Fifth Republic and ends the presidential system in place since independence.
Faure Gnassingbé, leader of the Union for the Republic (UNIR), was appointed in accordance with Article 47 of the new Constitution, which states that the President of the Council must come from the majority party in the National Assembly. With UNIR having won a sweeping majority of 108 out of 113 seats in the April 29, 2024 legislative elections, the party submitted his nomination to the Assembly Bureau.
The President of the National Assembly, Kodjo Sévon-Tépé Adedze, approved the decision and referred it to the Constitutional Court to organize the swearing-in ceremony, scheduled for later in the day. This change follows the resignation of the government led by Victoire Tomegah Dogbé, thus sealing the end of the presidential regime.
Under the new institutional framework, the President of the Council holds most executive powers: heading the government, overseeing the administration, and controlling the armed forces. The President of the Republic now retains a largely ceremonial role.
This political shift, praised by regime supporters as a step toward a more parliamentary and modern system of governance, is strongly criticized by the opposition. They accuse the ruling party of bypassing democratic processes to extend Faure Gnassingbé’s hold on power—he has ruled since 2005, succeeding his father, Gnassingbé Eyadéma.
