Togolese voters went to the polls on Thursday in municipal elections seen as a test for the country’s leader Faure Gnassingbé, who has faced rare and deadly protests after a recent constitutional reform that could effectively keep him in power indefinitely.
Polling stations remained largely deserted in Togo’s capital, Lomé, reflecting widespread voter apathy and fear following the crackdown on anti-government protests that left several people dead in June.
Gnassingbé, who has ruled since 2005 after the death of his father and predecessor as president, Gnassingbé Eyadéma, was sworn in as president of the Council of Ministers in May. The powerful role has no official term limits and he is eligible to be reelected by Parliament indefinitely.
