Togo Elects Former Opposition Leader Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové as President

Politics
Tuesday, 06 May 2025 17:32
Togo Elects Former Opposition Leader Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové as President

(Togo First) - Togo’s Parliament unanimously elected Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové as President of the Republic on May 3, 2025. The ruling Union for the Republic (Unir) party nominated the 85-year-old former opposition leader for a four-year term, renewable once. The vote count stood at 150 in favor.

The election marked a major political shift under Togo’s new Fifth Republic. The country adopted a parliamentary system that makes the presidency largely ceremonial. Earlier the same day, former President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé took office as President of the Council, the real executive power under the new constitution.


Savi de Tové, a veteran politician and former minister, holds a doctorate in political science from the Sorbonne. He survived political imprisonment in 1979 and played a key role in the 1991 Sovereign National Conference. His long career spans multiple regimes, and he has championed dialogue, stability, and republican values.

In his symbolic role, Savi de Tové will embody national unity. Meanwhile, Faure Gnassingbé will handle economic and strategic governance as head of the Council. This new power-sharing model aims to stabilize politics and boost economic appeal.

This article was initially published in French by Ayi Renaud Dossavi

Edited in English by Ange Jason Quenum

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