Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Togolese Republic
conventional short form: Togo
local long form: Republique Togolaise
local short form: none
former: French Togo
Data code: TO
Government type: republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule
Capital: Lome
Administrative divisions: 5 regions (regions, singularregion); De La Kara, Des Plateaux, Des Savanes, Du Centre, Maritime
Independence: 27 April 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday: Independence Day, 27 April (1960)
Constitution: multiparty draft constitution approved by High Council of the Republic 1 July 1992; adopted by public referendum 27 September 1992
Legal system: French-based court system
Suffrage: NA years of age; universal adult
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA (since 14 April
1967)
head of government: Prime Minister Kwassi KLUTSE (since August
1996)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and the
prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 21 June 1998 (next to be held NA 2003); prime
minister appointed by the president
election results: Gnassingbe EYADEMA reelected president; percent
of voteGnassingbe EYADEMA 52.13%
Legislative branch: unicameral
National Assembly (81 seats; members are elected by popular vote
to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 6 and 20 February 1994 (next to be held NA
February 1999)
election results: percent of vote by partyNA; seats by partyCAR
36, RPT 35, UTD 7, UJD 2, CFN 1
note: as a result of defections from the CAR to the RPT and the
merging of the UJD with the RPT, representation in the National
Assembly in August 1997 was RPT 42, CAR 32, UTD 5, CFN 1, independent
1
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Political parties and leaders:
Rally of the Togolese People or RPT [President Gen. Gnassingbe
EYADEMA]; Coordination des Forces Nouvelles or CFN [Joseph KOFFIGOH];
Togolese Union for Democracy or UTD [Edem KODJO]; Action Committee
for Renewal or CAR [Yao AGBOYIBOR]; Union for Democracy and Solidarity
or UDS [Antoine FOLLY]; Pan-African Sociodemocrats Group or GSP,
an alliance of three radical parties: CDPA, PDR, and PSP [leader
NA]; Democratic Convention of African Peoples or CDPA [Leopold
GNININVI]; Party for Democracy and Renewal or PDR [Zarifou AYEVA];
Pan-African Social Party or PSP [Francis AGBAGLI]; Union of Forces
for Change or UFC [Gilchrist OLYMPIO (in exile), Jeane-Pierre
FABRE, general secretary in Togo]; Union of Justice and Democracy
or UJD [Lal TAXPANDJAN]
note: Rally of the Togolese People or RPT, led by President EYADEMA,
was the only party until the formation of multiple parties was
legalized 12 April 1991
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MINURCA, MINURSO, MIPONUH, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WAEMU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in
the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Akosita FINEANGANOFO
chancery: 2208 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 234-4212
FAX: [1] (202) 232-3190
Diplomatic representation from
the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Brenda Brown SCHOONOVER
embassy: Rue Pelletier Caventou and Rue Vauban, Lome
mailing address: B. P. 852, Lome
telephone: [228] 21 77 17, 21 29 91 through 21 29 94
FAX: [228] 21 79 52
Flag description: five equal horizontal bands of green (top and bottom) alternating with yellow; there is a white five-pointed star on a red square in the upper hoist-side corner; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia