Togo

National Assembly

Election results

Data on parliamentary elections, including the background, candidates, voter turnout, results and the formation of the new legislature. By default the latest election results are displayed. Select a date to view results from previous elections

Background

Election date(s) The date when elections started and ended for directly or indirectly elected parliaments/chambers. The date of appointments for appointed parliaments/chambers.
20.12.2018
Timing of election Timing of election: Upon normal expiry; Early elections; Delayed elections
Delayed elections
Expected date of next elections The expected date at which the next elections should take place, based on law or practice.
20.04.2024
Number of seats at stake Number of seats contested at the elections. Where the parliament/chamber is fully renewed, this number is usually identical to the statutory number of members. Where the parliament/chamber is partially renewed or appointed, the number of seats at stake is usually less than the total number of members.
91
Scope of elections Scope of elections: Full renewal; Partial renewal.
Full renewal

Candidates

Total number of candidates Total number of people who registered as candidates for election. Does not include people who stood as candidates to become "substitute members".
856

Voter turnout

Registration Number of people registered to vote
3,155,837
Votes Number of people who actually voted
1,869,717
Voter turnout The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of people who actually voted by the number of people registered to vote
59.25%

Results

About the election Short description of the context and results of the election.
President Faure Gnassingbe's Union for the Republic (UNIR) retained the majority in the 91-member National Assembly. The Union of Forces for Change (UFC, see note 1) became the largest opposition force with seven seats amid the elections boycott by the C14 coalition (see note 2). In January 2019, Ms. Yawa Djigbodi Tsegan was elected the Speaker of the newly elected National Assembly, becoming the first woman in Togo to assume the post.

The 2018 elections were the first to be held after the massive protests in August 2017 had turned deadly. Protesters, initially led by the Pan-African National Party of Mr. Tikpi Atchadam, allied with 13 other parties to form the C14 coalition. The C14 demanded political reforms, in particular the re-introduction of the two-term limit for the presidency (see note 3). The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) facilitated the mediation process. In July 2018, it urged the Togolese Government to carry out a comprehensive revision of the voters' register, with a view to holding legislative elections on 20 December.

The C14 called for an elections boycott, citing "irregularities" in preparations for the vote. It continued to demand the electoral process to be halted until the two-term presidential limit was re-introduced. Other opposition forces, such as the UFC and the New Togolese Commitment (NET), called on voters to register for the 2018 elections so as to prevent UNIR from dominating Parliament.

Note 1:
The UFC, led by Mr. Gilchrist Olympio (son of Togo's first President, Sylvanus Olympio), was the main opposition force in the 2007 elections but joined the coalition government in 2010. In 2017, Mr. Olympio demanded the return to the 1992 Constitution and urged the President not to seek a new mandate.

Note 2:
The C14 coalition included Mr. Jean-Pierre Fabre's National Alliance for Change (ANC). The ANC had led Let's Save Togo Movement (CST) in the 2013 elections and when it had taken 19 seats.

Note 3:
The 1992 constitution established a multi-party democracy and a two-term limit for the presidency (10 years in all). However, in 2002, Parliament amended the Constitution so as to enable the then President Mr. Gnassingbe Eyadéma (who seized power in the 1967 coup) to run for another term. The incumbent President Faure Gnassingbe has been in power since the passing of his father in 2005.
Number of parties winning seats The number of parties which won parliamentary representation in the given election.
6
Percentage of seats won by largest party or coalition The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of seats won by the largest party by the number of seats at stake in the election.
64.84%
Parties or coalitions winning seats
Political groups winning seats breakdown
Political group Total
Union for the Republic (UNIR) 59
Union of Forces for Change (UFC) 7
New Togolese Commitment (NET) 3
Patriotic Movement for Democracy and Development (MPDD) 2
Movement of Centrist Republicans (MRC) 1
Pan-African Democratic Party (PDP) 1
Independents 18
Members elected, by sex
Number of men elected
76
Number of women elected
15
Percentage of women elected The percentage is calculated by dividing the number of women elected in the election and the number of seats at stake at the election.
16.48%
Sources
National Assembly (09.01.2019)
Radio France Internationale
Le Monde
France 24
koaci.com
Women Directly Elected
15

New legislature

Total number of men after the election The total number of male parliamentarians in this parliament/chamber following the election or renewal, regardless of their modes of designation.
76
Total number of women after the election The total number of female parliamentarians in this parliament/chamber following the election or renewal, regardless of their modes of designation.
15
Date of the first session The date when the newly elected parliament/chamber was convened for the first time. It may be different from the date when members were sworn in.
08.01.2019
First Speaker of the new legislature
First Speaker of the new legislature First name of the Speaker of the new legislature following the election or renewal.
Yawa Djigbodi Tsegan (Female)
Political party
Union for the Republic (UNIR)
Date of election
23.01.2019