President of Togo maintains PM, vows new government

Victoire Sidemeho Tomegah-Dogbe, the prime minister of Togo, has been retained by President Faure Gnassingbe, and a government will be established in the following days in accordance with a new constitution, the presidency announced on Thursday.

Tensions have increased in the coastal West African nation as a result of the new charter, which was approved in March. Opposition and civil society organizations have denounced what they see as Gnassingbe’s attempt to prolong his 19-year rule beyond what was initially anticipated.

Tomegah-Dogbe is a member of the ruling Union for the Republic party, which gained a resounding majority in an April legislative election that was repeatedly postponed because of constitutional disputes. She has been Togo’s first female prime minister since 2020.

Years have passed during which the Gnassingbe family has faced opposition in Togo. In order to succeed his father, Gnassingbe Eyadema, who assumed government following a coup in 1967, the president was first elected in 2005.