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.
Related articles:
Related suggestion:
Computer says no! Bizarre technology fails that will make you want to go offline'Mumtrepeneur' opens a highI saved a baby pigeon from drowning and now he's part of our familyO'Sullivan sees off Day to reach Crucible quartersRosamund Pike jazzes up her semiJudge denies bail to teen charged with terrorSting and Stephen Fry threaten to resign from the Garrick Club unless women are allowed to joinPhillies strike out 18 times, but beat Angels 2Abortion consumes US politics, courts two years after SCOTUS draft leakZelensky, NATO chief meet on aid for Ukraine
0.1291s , 5260.6796875 kb
Copyright © 2024 Powered by Togo's presidents signs a law expected to extend his decades ,Stellar Standpoint news portal