Thousands of people gathered in the southern town of Vogan, Togo, on Sunday to protest against a new constitution adopted in 2024, which they claim allows President Faure Gnassingbé to extend his rule.
The rally, organized by the National Concertation Council for Change in Togo (CNCC), brought together opposition parties and civil society organizations. It is the second meeting of this coalition in three months, following a first mobilization held in May.
Protesters displayed banners with slogans such as ‘No to unconstitutional government change’ or ‘Constitutional coup d’état’, denouncing what they see as an illegitimate reform.
‘The 2024 constitution is entirely illegal. It’s a constitutional coup that Togolese will never accept,’ said David Dosseh, the spokesperson for the Front Citéen Togo Debout (FCTD), one of the organizations behind the mobilization.
The new fundamental law, which came into effect in 2024, has significantly altered Togo’s institutions. It abolished direct presidential elections and established a parliamentary system. President Gnassingbé, who has been in power since 2005, now holds the position of president of the Council, the highest executive office in the country.
The opposition and civil society believe that this reform aims to indefinitely extend their leader’s rule. In contrast, the government defends a text that it claims strengthens institutional representation.
Tensions surrounding this reform have already led to protests in 2025, which resulted in seven deaths according to civil society, while the prosecution cited five deaths by drowning.
Last month, a court ruling on January 29th found that this reform constituted ‘a change of government anticonstitutional’. The Togolese government rejected this decision, arguing that the court overstepped its authority, which is limited to ensuring human rights and community law compliance without having the power to decide on internal law constitutionality.