Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbé has started his fourth term in office after he was sworn into office on Sunday.
He took his oath of office in a hall in the capital Lome with the Constitutional Court judges presiding over the ceremony.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic the ceremony which streamed on Facebook lasted an hour and 18 minutes.
Government officials and other diplomats observed strict social distancing regulations during the ceremony.
In February this year Togo’s electoral commission, CENI declared Gnassingbé winner of the country’s presidential election.
According to results, Faure Gnassingbe won the election with over 72.3 %. His closest rival was former prime minister, Agbéyomé Kodjo.
Some of the opposition politicians however alleged of fraud in the election.
The 53-year-old Faure Gnassingbé first took office in 2005 after the death of his father Eyadema Gnassingbé.
He pushed through constitutional changes allowing him to stand again in 2020 and potentially now can stay in office until 2030.
The constitutional change caps the presidential mandate to two five-year terms, but does not take into account the three terms Gnassingbé had already served.
Ouverture ce jour du quinquennat présidentiel 2020-2025, avec la prestation de serment du Président élu, SEM @FEGnassingbe, conformément à l’article 64 de la Constitution togolaise. pic.twitter.com/t5LO9ICM0L
— Présidence Togolaise (@PresidenceTg) May 3, 2020
Gnassingbé stay in office now prolongs his family’s stay in power for over fifty years.
Source: Africafeeds.com
