The National Assembly is poised to embark on a second reading of constitutional reform, following President Faure Gnassingbé’s call to transition from a presidential to a parliamentary system, where executive power primarily rests with the Prime Minister. However, this reform has stirred criticism and suggestions, both regarding its adoption process and its substance.
The West African Civil Society Forum (Foscao) strongly criticizes the Togolese constitutional reform undergoing a second reading. This forum, comprising a thousand organizations from the fifteen member states of ECOWAS, raises concerns about both how the text was adopted in the first reading and its content, states Komlan Messié, the Executive Director of Foscao.
According to Deputy Gerry Komandega Taama, leader of the Togolese New Commitment party, the new text should be subject to a referendum. Also a member of the legal committee, he indicates that the new text can be adopted and promulgated before the legislative elections on April 20, even though the schedule for this second reading is not yet known.