The Government of Togo - The World Countries

Togo - Government

Based on the etymolgy of Togo, it was derived from the Ewe words "to" (river) and "godo" (on the other side) to give the sense of "on the other side of the river"; originally, this designation applied to the town of Togodo (now Togoville) on the northern shore of Lake Togo, but the name was eventually extended to the entire nation. The Government system in this country is the presidential republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 5 regions (regions, singular - region); Centrale, Kara, Maritime, Plateaux, Savanes

National symbols

Lion; national colors: green, yellow, red, white.

The flag

The National flag of Togo has five equal horizontal bands of green (top and bottom) alternating with yellow; a white five-pointed star on a red square is in the upper hoist-side corner; the five horizontal stripes stand for the five different regions of the country; the red square is meant to express the loyalty and patriotism of the people, green symbolizes hope, fertility, and agriculture, while yellow represents mineral wealth and faith that hard work and strength will bring prosperity; the star symbolizes life, purity, peace, dignity, and Togo's independence.

note: uses the popular Pan-African colors of Ethiopia

The National Anthem

Title	"Salut a toi, pays de nos aieux" (Hail to Thee, Land of Our Forefathers)
Lyric/music	Alex CASIMIR-DOSSEH

note: adopted 1960, restored 1992; this anthem was replaced by another during one-party rule between 1979 and 1992

More about the government of Togo

Constitution
Date of Independence	27 April 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday	Independence Day, 27 April (1960)
Legal system	customary law system
International law organization participation	accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt
History	Several previous; latest adopted 27 September 1992, effective 14 October 1992; revised 6 May 2024
Amendments	Proposed by the president of the republic or supported by at least one fifth of the National Assembly membership; passage requires four-fifths majority vote by the Assembly; a referendum is required if approved by only two-thirds majority of the Assembly or if requested by the president; constitutional articles on the republican and secular form of government cannot be amended; amended 2002, 2007, last in 2024 (reported as a revision)
Citizenship
Citizenship by birth	no
Citizenship by descent only	at least one parent must be a citizen of Togo
Dual citizenship recognized	yes
Residency requirement for naturalization	5 years
Executive Branch
Chief of state	President Faure GNASSINGBE (since 4 May 2005)
Head of government	Prime Minister Victoire TOMEGAH Dogbé (since 25 September 2020)
Cabinet	Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister
Elections/appointments	president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 5-year term (no term limits); election last held on 22 February 2020 (next to be held in 2025); prime minister appointed by the president note- on 21 May 2024 the Prime Minister and her cabinet resigned. The President requested they continue serving during the government transition.
Election results	2020: Faure GNASSINGBE reelected president; percent of vote - Faure GNASSINGBE (UNIR) 70.8%, Agbeyome KODJO (MPDD) 19.5%, Jean-Pierre FABRE (ANC) 4.7%, other 5% 2015: Faure GNASSINGBE reelected president; percent of vote - Faure GNASSINGBE (UNIR) 58.8%, Jean-Pierre FABRE (ANC) 35.2%, Tchaboure GOGUE (ADDI) 4%, other 2%
Legislative branch
Description	Unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (113 seats; members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by closed, party-list proportional representation vote to serve 5-year terms)
Elections	Last held on 29 April 2024 (next election April 2029)
Election results	Percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UNIR 108, ADDI 2, ANC 1, DMP 1, FDR 1 composition - men 92, women 21, percentage of women elected 18.6%
Judicial branch
Highest court(s)	Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (organized into criminal and administrative chambers, each with a chamber president and advisors); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges, including the court president)
Judge selection and term of office	Supreme Court president appointed by decree of the president of the republic upon the proposal of the Supreme Council of the Magistracy, a 9-member judicial, advisory, and disciplinary body; other judicial appointments and judge tenure NA; Constitutional Court judges appointed by the National Assembly; judge tenure NA
Subordinate courts	Court of Assizes (sessions court); Appeal Court; tribunals of first instance (divided into civil, commercial, and correctional chambers; Court of State Security; military tribunal
Diplomatic representation in the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Frédéric Edem HEGBE (since 24 April 2017)
Chancery	2208 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Telephone	[1] (202) 234-4212
FAX	[1] (202) 232-3190
Email address and website	[email protected] https://embassyoftogousa.com/
Diplomatic representation from the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Elizabeth FITZSIMMONS (since 26 April 2022)
Embassy	Boulevard Eyadema, B.P. 852, Lome
Mailing address	2300 Lome Place, Washington, DC 20521-2300
Telephone	[228] 2261-5470
FAX	[228] 2261-5501
Email address and website	[email protected] https://tg.usembassy.gov/
National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites	1 (cultural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales	Koutammakou; the Land of the Batammariba