Togo is moving towards a redistricting of electoral constituencies ahead of the dual legislative and regional elections that the Togolese government aims to organize before the end of the first quarter of 2024. The issue was discussed this week in the Council of Ministers and during a new meeting of the Permanent Consultation Framework, which brings together the majority and the opposition. An increase in the number of deputies seems to be confirmed.
The mandate of the current deputies expires at the end of the month, and there appears to be a move towards an increase in the number of deputies.
This week, the government adopted a modification of the law that sets their number in the Council of Ministers. They were previously 91, but several solutions are being considered for the distribution of seats. Discussions between parties in the majority and the opposition continue within the permanent consultation framework, which met again this week.
For example, the Ensemble alliance suggests one deputy per commune, totaling 117. The ANC, the party of Jean-Pierre Fabre, advocates for a seat distribution based on demographics, a calculation system that would give more weight to the southern regions, considered closer to the opposition.
At the UFC, it is hoped that “the proposals for electoral redistricting are not an extension of political disputes between parties.” “This is a subject that has always been debated in Togo,” explains researcher Bergès Mietté. For him, electoral redistricting is based on electoral criteria, and there are currently significant disparities in terms of representation. Among the different proposals, it will be up to the government to decide. The final decision will be theirs.