Under the new constitution, the president will no longer be elected by popular vote; instead, parliament will select the head of state. This development follows the recent announcement by the election commission that President Faure Gnassingbe’s ruling party secured a majority in parliament.
Ahead of the vote, the government imposed restrictions on civic and media freedoms, including the prohibition of protests against the proposed constitution and the arrest of opposition members. Additionally, the electoral commission barred the Catholic Church from deploying election observers, while Togo’s media regulator suspended accreditation for foreign journalists.
