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Togo lawmakers voted on Friday to approve long-contested constitutional reforms, moving the West African country from a presidential to a parliamentary system of governance. The opposition Dynamique pour La Majorite du Peuple (DMP) alliance called for protests Saturday in the wake of the legislative vote.
The lawmakers unanimously approved the changes, adopted on March 25, to the country’s law establishing the Constitution of the Fifth Togolese Republic. The reforms switch the country to a parliamentary system of governance with parliamentary groups presenting candidates for president and electing them. They also shortened the presidential term to four years, renewable once. Additionally, the reforms establish the position of the President of the Council of Ministers, similar to a Prime Minister, with no term limit.
The reforms were approved by parliament on March 25 but paused by President Faure Gnassingbe following heightened opposition. Public outcry as a result of the reforms led the president to postpone elections indefinitely and later reschedule the elections to April 29.
Opposition activists believe the constitutional changes are a pretext for extending President Gnassingbe’s grip on power and stretching the Gnassingbe family’s reign in Togo to over six decades. Opposition leader Gerard Djossou of the DMP told Al Jazeera, “Don’t touch my constitution, it’s our only guarantee of stability.”
As the new reforms take shape, the country braces for parliamentary elections slated for April 29, which will shape the new political landscape for Togo.
The post Togo parliament approves controversial constitutional reforms appeared first on JURIST - News.
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The lawmakers unanimously approved the changes, adopted on March 25, to the country’s law establishing the Constitution of the Fifth Togolese Republic. The reforms switch the country to a parliamentary system of governance with parliamentary groups presenting candidates for president and electing them. They also shortened the presidential term to four years, renewable once. Additionally, the reforms establish the position of the President of the Council of Ministers, similar to a Prime Minister, with no term limit.
The reforms were approved by parliament on March 25 but paused by President Faure Gnassingbe following heightened opposition. Public outcry as a result of the reforms led the president to postpone elections indefinitely and later reschedule the elections to April 29.
Opposition activists believe the constitutional changes are a pretext for extending President Gnassingbe’s grip on power and stretching the Gnassingbe family’s reign in Togo to over six decades. Opposition leader Gerard Djossou of the DMP told Al Jazeera, “Don’t touch my constitution, it’s our only guarantee of stability.”
As the new reforms take shape, the country braces for parliamentary elections slated for April 29, which will shape the new political landscape for Togo.
The post Togo parliament approves controversial constitutional reforms appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.