Togo's presidents signs a law expected to extend his decades
Time:2024-05-07 21:09:38 Source:healthViews(143)
LOME, Togo (AP) — Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe has signed a controversial new constitution that eliminates presidential elections, a statement from his office said late Monday. It’s a move that opponents say will allow him to extend his family’s six-decade-long rule.
Under the new legislation, parliament will have the power to choose the president, doing away with direct elections. The election commission on Saturday announced that Gnassingbe’s ruling party had won a majority of seats in the West African nation’s parliament.
Ahead of the vote, there was a crackdown on civic and media freedoms. The government banned protests against the proposed new constitution and arrested opposition figures. The electoral commission banned the Catholic Church from deploying election observers. In mid-April, a French journalist who arrived to cover the elections was arrested, assaulted and expelled. Togo’s media regulator later suspended the accreditation process for foreign journalists.
You may also like
- Georgia court candidate sues to block ethics rules so he can keep campaigning on abortion
- Chris Christie drops out of Republican White House race
- Hamas airs video of Israeli hostages, says will disclose their fate
- Easter weekend: What's open, what's not and when you have to pay a surcharge
- After AP's missing students investigation, children return to school
- Singapore minister Iswaran charged in rare corruption case
- Hamas airs video of Israeli hostages, says will disclose their fate
- Taiwan's remaining Pacific allies pledge support
- Bank Holiday Moo