The opposition in Togo is unhappy about a proposed new constitution that they believe will give President Faure Gnassingbé more power and allow him to stay in office for longer. The changes would switch Togo from having a president to having a parliament with a prime minister. Supporters of the president say this would make the president’s role less powerful and improve democracy. But the opposition thinks it’s a trick to let President Gnassingbé stay in power until 2031 and then become prime minister. His family has already been ruling Togo for 57 years.
Lawmakers approved the changes last month, but there was a lot of public anger. President Gnassingbé stopped the changes for now and said there will be more discussions about them.
Government officials have been talking to people around the country about the reforms, but nothing has changed so far. Many people are scared to speak out in public because they might get in trouble with the authorities, especially since the police have been stopping anti-government protests.
The opposition held a press conference against the changes, but it got broken up by the authorities. Opposition leaders and activists wanted to protest, but the protests were banned.
In the middle of all this, President Gnassingbé postponed the parliamentary elections, which made the unrest even worse. Then the government said the elections will happen on April 29th, just over a week later than planned. The opposition is still against the changes and says they will keep fighting until they’re canceled.
