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A new coalition of major Togolese opposition parties and civil society groups has held its first meeting to relaunch protests against constitutional changes they say allow the President of the Council of Ministers of Togo, Faure Gnassingbé, to consolidate power.
The meeting was held on Saturday, though public opposition meetings have been rare in Togo in recent years, the last one taking place more than a year ago. Four opposition parties and civil society groups have formed a coalition called the National Consultation Framework for Change in Togo (CNCC).
“It was important for the Togolese people to show that they are still standing and that they do not accept the abuse of the new constitution,” David Dosseh, spokesman for the Citizens’ Front Togo Standing (FCTD) civil society group, told AFP.
“We are entering a new phase of mobilisation,” he said.
Several opposition figures, including the president of the National Alliance for Change (ANC), Jean-Pierre Fabre, took turns speaking. Fabre raised the case of the popular Togolese poet and activist Honore Sitsope Sokpor, also known as Affectio, after he was jailed again on Monday, just a few months after being released under judicial supervision.
Fabre called it “arbitrary detention” and “relentless harassment”, while others denounced “poor governance”.
Opposition and civil society groups have consistently criticised the 2024 constitution, seeing it as a means for Gnassingbe, in power since 2005, to remain at the head of the West African nation indefinitely. For the presidential camp, the constitution ensures more representation.
According to Civil society groups, protests against the move last year left seven dead. The new law ends the election of the president by public vote and creates a parliamentary system. The most powerful role is now president of the council, which Gnassingbé currently holds.
