Togo’s constitutional shift: Faure Gnassingbé’s enduring grip on power

Recent arrests of two French citizens in northern Togo have cast a harsh spotlight on the worrisome trajectory of governance in the country. Following days of detention by intelligence services, their legal fate appears to have been sealed under direct orders from Faure Gnassingbé. According to reports, the President allegedly instructed his Justice Minister, Pacôme Adjourouvi, to « resist all external pressures » in their case.

The erosion of institutional legitimacy

Beyond the diplomatic fallout, these developments expose a deeper crisis: the erosion of Togo’s political institutions. A pressing question now hangs over the nation: who actually wields power, and on what legal or moral foundation?

Faure Gnassingbé’s leadership no longer aligns with conventional presidential structures. By engineering a constitutional overhaul and installing a ceremonial « President of the Republic » while reserving the powerful new role of « President of the Council » for himself the administration has created a global anomaly. This institutional patchwork dismantles formal titles in favor of unchecked executive dominance.

A constitutional gambit with troubling implications

The 2024 reforms, rammed through a National Assembly dominated by the ruling UNIR party, abolished the presidential system in favor of a parliamentary model. Yet this « reform » is anything but democratic. The newly installed ceremonial president, Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové, holds no real authority. Meanwhile, the newly created position of « President of the Council », occupied by Gnassingbé since May 3, 2025, now controls all executive functions: national policy, military command, civil and military appointments, international representation, and regulatory powers.

Crucially, this role has been designed with no term limits a stark departure from the previous constitutional cap of two presidential mandates. Given that the UNIR party now holds 108 of 113 parliamentary seats following the 2024 elections elections widely boycotted by the opposition this was a foregone conclusion. The result is not a democratic transition, but a dynastic perpetuation disguised under a new title.

The judiciary’s role has been systematically hollowed out. The case of French journalists Sébastien Perez Pezzani and Gaël Mocaër detained while filming for a France Télévisions segment illustrates a broader pattern. Intelligence services and the Ministry of Justice now operate under direct executive orders. The reported instruction to « resist all pressures » reveals a command chain that completely bypasses judicial independence. When the head of state dictates legal outcomes to judges, the separation of powers crumbles into irrelevance.

Elections without legitimacy

The legitimacy crisis deepens when viewed in the context of Togo’s recent political processes. The constitutional change was not submitted to a national referendum. Legislative elections, held amid boycotts and accusations of irregularities, did little to confer democratic credibility. The Senate, with one-third of its members appointed by the President of the Council, further cements a system where power remains concentrated in a single individual.

Institutions hollowed out, power centralized

This is no longer a transition it is the entrenchment of personal rule behind a legal facade. Titles shift, procedures proliferate, yet the locus of decision-making remains unchanged: Faure Gnassingbé, now President of the Council, leader of the ruling party, commander-in-chief, and final arbiter of national affairs.

When arbitrary rule replaces law, when state institutions become mere window dressing, and when justice becomes a political tool, the social contract frays. Togo is no longer debating a constitutional disagreement it faces a regime that has chosen to govern outside any stable, predictable republican framework.

The question is no longer « who rules? » it is: how long can a system built on institutional decay and mounting popular discontent remain standing?