LOME, May 5, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Togo's ruling party won a parliamentary majority in April's legislative elections, the country's electoral commission said Saturday, after a divisive constitutional reform critics say allows President Faure Gnassingbe to extend his time in power. Gnassingbe's Union for the Republic party (UNIR) won 108 of 113 seats in the new assembly, according to provisional results announced by the national electoral commission. Under the previous constitution, Gnassingbe would have been able to run for the presidency just one more time in 2025. According to the new constitution, Togo's president now becomes a mostly ceremonial role elected by parliament, and not the people, for a four-year term. For the opposition this means Gnassingbe will be able to stay in power without term limits as long as the UNIR is the majority party in the national assembly.
