Togo

National Assembly

Political system
Parliamentary system
Structure of parliament
Unicameral
IPU membership
Yes

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)
20 Dec 2018
Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature
No information available
Timing of election
Delayed elections
Expected date of next elections
29 Apr 2024
Number of seats at stake
91
Scope of elections
Full renewal

Candidates

Total number of candidates
856

Voter turnout

Registered voters
3,155,837
Voters
1,869,717
Voter turnout
59.2%

Results

About 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
6
Percentage of seats won by largest party or coalition
64.8%

Parties or coalitions winning seats

Parties or coalitions winning seats
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
16.5%
Women Directly Elected
15
Sources

National Assembly (09.01.2019)

Radio France Internationale

Le Monde

France 24

koaci.com

New legislature

Total number of men after the election
76
Total number of women after the election
15
Percentage of women after the election
16.5%
First-term parliamentarians
No information available
Percentage of first-term parliamentarians
No information available
Date of the first session
08 Jan 2019

First Speaker of the new legislature

Personal details for the first Speaker of the new legislature
Yawa Djigbodi Tsegan (Female)
Date of birth: 08 May 1971
Political party
Union for the Republic (UNIR)
Date of election
23 Jan 2019

Historical data for IPU membership

Historical data for IPU membership
Year IPU membership
2020-09
List of values for 2020-09
No
2019-04
List of values for 2019-04
No
2018-06
List of values for 2018-06
No