Political parties in Togo, within the Permanent Consultation Framework, reconvened in Lomé to deliberate on crucial matters, notably electoral demarcation and voter registry. Established after the 2020 presidential election, this structure brings together parties from both the majority and the opposition, aiming to provide government recommendations on significant issues.
The focus of Wednesday’s session was primarily on electoral demarcation and the voter registry, topics contested by the opposition. Discussions also touched on the upcoming legislative and regional elections slated for completion by the end of March.
Opposition leader Traoré Tchassona, President of the Citizen Movement for Democracy and Development, put forth several proposals during the session. “I believe that we have put forward a proposal from our alliance. With 117 municipalities, we should base representation on this, ensuring at least one deputy per municipality for equitable national representation.”
Pacôme Yawovi Adjourouvi, session president and a prominent member of the ruling party UNIR, views the discussions as reassuring. “These are avenues for consideration that we will work on. No one is against expanding or increasing the number of deputies. Nobody is against territorial representation either. However, we assert that it cannot be solely based on demographics.”
Electoral demarcation is a significant concern for the opposition ANC. Kwami Manti, the party’s Deputy Secretary-General, expressed satisfaction with the working session. “We are pleased that this issue has drawn the CPC’s attention, and we have agreed to discuss it, hoping that the problem will be addressed, taking into account the primary criterion, which is demographics.”
All consensus results from these Permanent Consultation Framework meetings will be presented to the government as proposals. The deliberations are set to resume next week.