Togo: the President of the Republic has no decision-making powers

In Togo, the Fourth Republic has been definitively laid to rest, with two presidents fulfilling two very different functions.

The country is completing its transition to a parliamentary system that does away with direct presidential elections by universal suffrage, with ex-president Faure Gnassingbé being sworn in last Saturday as President of the Council of Ministers, now the highest office in the executive branch.

Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové, 86, was also elected President of the Republic the same day by the country’s deputies, describing him as “a man who has mastered the nuts and bolts of governance”.

Elected for a four-year term, renewable once only, Savi de Tové has no executive or decision-making powers.

He is reduced to a mainly symbolic role, embodying national unity, respect for the Constitution and continuity of the State.

It retains a few prerogatives, such as the accreditation of ambassadors, the reception of foreign diplomats and the right to grant individual pardons.