Togo’s Senate is now complete after President Faure Gnassingbé appointed 20 members on Wednesday, fulfilling a constitutional requirement. This follows the February 15 elections, which saw 41 senators elected amid an opposition boycott. The appointments include figures from opposition parties aligned with the ruling UNIR and mark the political return of former Prime Minister Joseph Kokou Koffigoh. With the Senate set to convene soon, Togo moves closer to fully implementing its new parliamentary system, where executive power will shift to the President of the Council of Ministers.
Togo’s President, Faure Gnassingbé, appointed 20 senators on Wednesday evening, completing the formation of the country’s new Senate. This follows the February 15, 2025, election of 41 senators a vote boycotted by parts of the opposition.
Under Togo’s Constitution, the 61-member Senate is composed of elected and appointed representatives, with the president responsible for naming one-third of its members. Gnassingbé fulfilled this obligation through a decree issued in a ministerial council and announced on national television by government spokesperson Yawa Kouigan.
Among the appointees are figures from opposition parties with ties to the ruling Union for the Republic (UNIR), including members of the Union of Forces for Change (UFC), the Movement of Centrist Republicans (MRC), and the Democratic Party for Progress (PDP). These parties supported Togo’s recent constitutional shift from a presidential to a parliamentary system. Leaders from centrist opposition groups, such as the Pan-African Patriotic Convention (CPP) and the Citizen Movement for Democracy (MCD), were also appointed.
Notably, the appointments mark the return of former Prime Minister Joseph Kokou Koffigoh, who played a key role in Togo’s 1990s political transition.
With the Senate now complete, it is expected to convene soon to elect its leadership and begin operations under the Constitution adopted on May 6, 2024. The new parliamentary system designates the President of the Council of Ministers, chosen from the majority party in Parliament, as the head of government, while the President of Togo assumes an honorary role. All institutions of the Fifth Republic must be fully operational before May 6 to comply with the constitutional transition period.
