At Stake in this Election:

• All 113 seats in the Togolese National Assembly

On 3 April 2024, President GNASSINGBÉ announced an indefinite postponement of elections amidst controversy over proposed constitutional reforms. The National Assembly approved the new Constitution on 25 March, but GNASSINGBÉ did not sign it and ordered a second reading and vote following public outcry. On 9 April 2024, the election was officially rescheduled for 29 April 2024.

Government Structure:

• Chief of State: President Faure GNASSINGBÉ (since 4 May 2005)
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Victoire Tomegah DOGBÉ (since 28 September 2020)
• Assembly: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale) with 91 seats

Electoral System:

• The President is directly elected by plurality vote to serve unlimited 5-year terms. Future Following the new constitution of 2024, the presidential elections will be indirect, and the President will be limited to a single 6-year term.
• The Prime Minister is appointed by the President.
• In the National Assembly, 113 members are directly elected by closed-list proportional representation vote from multi-seat constituencies. All members elected in 2024 will now serve 6-year terms. There are no term limits.

Last Election:

In the 2018 National Assembly election, the Union for the Republic won a majority with 59 of the 91 seats. Five additional parties and 18 independent candidates also won seats. Voter turnout was 59.25%.

New/Unique in this Election:

On 31 January 2024, the National Assembly passed a law increasing the number of seats from 91 to 113.

On 25 March 2024, the National Assembly approved a new Constitution that will drastically change the structure of the Togolese government, shifting from a semi-presidential to a parliamentary system. The new Constitution will significantly limit the powers of the President and change the presidential term from 5 years (unlimited) to a single term of 6 years. The President will be indirectly elected by the National Assembly and Senate rather than directly elected. In contrast, the parliamentary majority leader will be named to the new position of President of the Council of Ministers after each election, with no term limits. Members of the National Assembly and Senate (a body defined by the prior Constitution of 1992 but yet to be established) will serve 6-year terms (still without term limits) rather than 5-year terms. The new Constitution also restructures the judicial system and establishes a high authority for transparency and anti-corruption efforts.

Key Deadlines:

• Candidate filing deadline: 6 March 2024

Main Parties in this Election:

• Union for the Republic / Union pour la République (UNIR)
  • Seats won in last election: 59 out of 91
• Union of Forces of Change / Union des Forces du Changement (UFC)
  • Seats won in last election: 6 out of 91
• Patriotic Movement for Democracy and Development / Mouvement Patriotique pour la Démocratie et le Développement (MPDD)
  • Seats won in last election: 3 out of 91
• New Commitment Togo / Nouvel Engagement Togolais (NET)
  • Seats won in last election: 3 out of 91
• Democratic Pan-African Party / Parti Démocratique Panafricain (PDP)
  • Seats won in last election: 1 out of 91
• Movement of Centrist Republicans / Mouvement des Républicains Centristes (MRC)
  • Seats won in last election: 1 out of 91

Population:

• Population: 8,848,700 (2022)

Gender Data:

• Female Population: 4,400,470 (2022)
• CEDAW Status: Ratified (by accession) 26 September 1983
• Gender Quota:  Yes, party lists for National Assembly elections must include equal numbers of men and women
• Female Candidates in this election: Yes
• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 17 out of 90 (18.9%) in the National Assembly
• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.547, Low, Rank 163 (2022)
• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: 36.8

Disability Data:

• CRPD Status: Signed 23 September 2008, Ratified 1 March 2011
• Projected population with a disability: 1,415,792 (2022 est.)

IFES Resources:

• Does IFES have a presence in Togo: No
• Election Access: Yes
• Election Judgements: Yes, 2 judgments and 4 resources