Faure Gnassingbé: The Making of a Dynasty, Not a Democracy
(Published: June 2018) - By Komlan Eyram Mensah Dossou Since 2005, Togo has lived under the shadow of a dynasty that masquerades as a democracy. Faure Gnassingbé, son of the late General Gnassingbé Eyadéma who ruled Togo for 38 years, inherited power in what many described as a military-backed constitutional coup. His presidency has since been marked by rigged elections, repression of dissent, and the slow erosion of Togolese civil liberties. As a Togolese citizen and activist, I — Komlan Eyram Mensah Dossou — have watched with increasing alarm as our republic transformed into a personalized regime, with Faure sitting on the throne of the state as if it were a family heirloom. Democracy demands accountability. It demands that power be transferred through the will of the people. But in Togo, power is kept by manipulating the system. The 2010, 2015, and 2020 elections were all characterized by massive irregularities, with opposition candidates routinely harassed, and voter rolls ma...