Interview  “Actors now have their toolbox to build and consolidate their democracy”

On the eve of major election in Togo, journalist Louis Keumaya and Jean-Paul Agboh Ahouélété published « Togo, a democracy under construction ». And to analyze what is at stake of the presidential election next February in the light of a major event in its history, the Sovereign National Conference of 1991. Explanations with Louis Keumayou.

Interview by DBM

You published « Togo, a democracy under construction », co-written with Jean-Paul Agboh Ahouélété in which you analyse a key period in the history of Togolese democracy, the 1991 Sovereign National Conference. Why did you want to work on this theme, this period in particular?

In the struggle to promote African democracy, the Togo event has changed symbols. The first military coup d’état in the history of African continent has taken place in Togo. In a democracy, power is not gained by arms; it is rather gained by ballot boxes even though the military forces overturned the elected president, who proclaimed the country’s independence in 1960. Sylvanus Olympio was assassinated in 1963.

Then there was the exception period, during which all institutions were at half-mast. The country was governed by a single party, not by a constitution. The 1991 National Conference had enabled the Togolese people to get out of that tunnel and return to the democratic life.

Therefore, the constitution that came after this National Conference was adopted by a Soviet majority. The democratic achievements of this period were so important that when the constitutional revision of 2002 made following a legislative election boycotted by the opposition reversed them, the country plunged into a political crisis that lasted 18 years.

During all this time, the opposition has constantly demanded a return to the 1992 constitution which guaranteed the limitation of the mandate of the President of the Republic. On this specific point, it was successful, since the limitation of the president’s mandate was reintroduced into the constitution. Moreover, the Togolese from the outside obtained the right to vote, and the Constitutional Court was created.

There remains one point on which one part of the opposition, mostly C14; a coalition of 14 political parties, that was eventually imploded, did not win their case, which is the retroactivity of term limit.

It would have disqualified former president Faure Gnassingbé, who was a candidate for his own succession. Therefore the National Conference is a pivotal moment for the young Togolese nation.

The foundations of democracy were laid at the end of this process even if the handling of this process was not always up to the expectations of the people and observers of Togolese political life. The country has managed to get back on track with the standards set by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in terms of democracy. Actors now have the toolbox to build and consolidate their democracy.

The book will be published a few weeks before the eagerly awaited February presidential election in Togo. This is probably not a coincidence. To what extent do the period and the process you are analyzing is shedding light on these current events?

There is no such thing as coincidence in life. The book doesn’t just cover the period of 1991. It opens on what is at the stakes of the presidential election of February 22, 2020. We are also talking about the 26 rounds of negotiations between the government and the opposition, the results of which were mitigated.

We return to the Tikpi Atchadam phenomenon: The book features the leader of the Pana-African National Party (PNP). We provide the reader with a gallery of portraits of the major figures in Togolese political life, and many other things they will discover when they read the book.

What we are trying to demonstrate is how democracy is not a tending product for consumers. Certainly there is no physical or online store that sells a democracy that is tailor-made and free of manufacturing defects. Therefore, Building and consolidating democracy is a long process that requires constant attention, as the slightest inattention can make it look like Sisyphus’ punishment.

Finally, can we talk about an aborted rendezvous with democracy in 1991?

No. The 1991 Sovereign National Conference was not a failure. It was rather a great moment of democracy that made it possible to turn the page on the dark history of the country.  It endowed it with a constitution, the full extent of which was not immediately appreciated by all those involved in political life. A significant part of the achievements of the 1992 Constitution had to be repealed in order to make the strengthening of the 1992 Constitution a top priority. Politicians have failed to secure democratic gains. This does not mean that they have not existed. They have simply been poorly defended. The Lesson should be learned so that such setbacks do not occur again.

Since then, Togolese democracy has continued its process of consolidation, with recent reforms…

While in most countries, including those that were considered models of democracy in West Africa, changes in the constitution are made to allow the outgoing president to benefit from the unlocking of term limits, the amendment of the Togolese Constitution limits those of the sitting president. The opposition is not entirely satisfied with the reforms that have taken place. In doing so, it is playing its natural role. It wants more. Does its attitude allow it to get more? Only time will tell.

To wrap up, in the light of your work, how do you view this election, which you describe as a « major » one in the history of Togo’s young democracy? While Togo shines in economic terms, particularly at the macroeconomic level supported by donors, the current president, who is seeking a fourth term in office, is contested by the opposition and part of the population, which has expressed its dissatisfaction on several occasions in recent times...

We are not alone in considering that the election of the President of the Republic is a major ballot in a presidential regime. If the opposition is not boycotting this election, even though it has boycotted the legislative elections, it must attach some importance to it. Having said that, politics is very ungrateful; the results are not enough. Especially for a president who is accused of inheriting power dynastically. Moreover, the conditions in which Faure Gnassingbé lived were not ideal. His father had just died, the country was badly damaged by the European Union (EU) embargo, and the socio-political crisis was at its height.

Fifteen years on, Togo is a very different country. Its economic performance is unanimously acclaimed. As in France, where the yellow jackets demonstrate with an attitude of « End of the month and end of the world: same battle”, to show the extent to which they are not benefiting from the fruits of growth, there are whole sections of the Togolese population who consider that their country’s economic growth is not inclusive.

The February election is not going to solve this problem. On the contrary, it will serve to identify the one who will create the conditions for better living together and inclusiveness in all areas of public life to become a reality in the daily lives of Togolese people.