Togo's sovereignty belongs to the people and is exercised through elected representatives or a referendum. The 2024 Constitution describes the country as a state governed by law and organizes it as a unitary and decentralized polity. Civilian government directs public authority, while the Forces de défense et de sécurité protect sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and the constitutional order. The President of the Republic is Jean-Lucien Kwassi Lanyo Savi de Tové. Parliament elects the President of the Republic in Congress. The office mainly symbolizes national unity, accredits diplomats and performs other constitutional functions. Decrees are countersigned by the President of the Council where the constitutional rules require it. Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé has served as President of the Council since 3 May 2025. He leads the Council of Ministers, commands the armed forces, directs national and foreign policy, supervises public administration and internal security, ensures the execution of laws, exercises regulatory power and makes civil and military appointments within the constitutional framework. He also has the power of pardon. The government is politically accountable to the Assemblée nationale. A motion of no confidence requires signatures from at least two-fifths of the members and adoption by a three-quarters majority. The Assemblée nationale can also be dissolved under the constitutional conditions. Parliament has two chambers: the Assemblée nationale and the Sénat. Members of the Assemblée nationale are directly elected by universal secret ballot for six years. Two-thirds of senators are elected by representatives of the collectivités territoriales and one-third are appointed by the President of the Council; senators also serve six-year terms. Budget bills begin under the initiative of the President of the Council and follow the parliamentary procedure from the Assemblée nationale to the Sénat. Election procedures themselves belong to the separate elections subject area, while these institutional arrangements explain how elected bodies function within the state. The judiciary is independent and includes judicial and administrative orders. The Cour de cassation is the highest ordinary court, and the Conseil d'Etat is the highest administrative court. The Tribunal des conflits resolves conflicts between the two orders. Specialized bodies include labour, commercial and juvenile courts, as well as military appellate courts and military tribunals. The Conseil supérieur de la magistrature handles judicial appointments and discipline. The Cour constitutionnelle has nine members serving one non-renewable seven-year term. It reviews constitutional compliance, fundamental rights, internal rules of state institutions and the regularity of parliamentary, senatorial and referendum procedures. Its decisions are final. A constitutional referral before promulgation may be made by the President of the Republic, the President of the Council, a parliamentary president or one-third of a chamber. The normal review period is one month, while urgent and electoral disputes generally have an eight-day period. Togo has five regions, 39 préfectures, 117 communes and 393 cantons. Villages and neighbourhoods are additional administrative units. The Constitution recognizes regions and communes as collectivités territoriales managed freely by elected councils. The District autonome du Grand Lomé operates as a special capital and intermunicipal administrative level, but it is not an additional constitutional category of local government. Governors serve the five regions and the Grand Lomé district. A préfet represents the state and government, oversees cantons, villages and neighbourhoods, and reviews the legality of municipal acts. Municipal councils and mayors handle matters such as local development, water, education, health, sanitation and roads. Each commune has a Bureau du citoyen as a channel for participation and complaints. Local procedures may differ in documents, fees and deadlines, so the relevant mairie, préfecture or déconcentrated service should confirm the current requirements. Traditional authorities are constitutionally recognized as guardians of customs and traditions. A traditional chief is designated or installed according to local customs and applicable laws or regulations. The Ministère de l'Administration territoriale, de la Gouvernance locale et des Affaires coutumières handles traditional authority, territorial administration, decentralization, civil registration, religious affairs, associations and political parties. Traditional authorities may support mediation, identity and community matters, but they do not replace legislation or the formal courts. Public finances combine national and local systems. The 2026 finance law sets total expenditure and revenue at FCFA 2,751.5 billion, an increase of 14.8% compared with 2025. Its stated priorities allocate FCFA 669 billion to inclusion and human capital, FCFA 407 billion to economic transformation and FCFA 324 billion to strengthening the state. The 2025 supplementary finance law amounted to FCFA 2,436 billion. Togo uses a programme-based budget aligned with UEMOA public-finance practice. Local governments use their legally assigned revenues and responsibilities and may receive support through FACT, the national local-government financing mechanism established by Décret n°2019-130/PR. The PAFC supports municipal financing, with expansion planned across all 117 communes. The Cour des comptes independently audits the state, local governments and public companies. It can examine documents and sites, review budget discipline, conduct audits and advise Parliament and the government. Cours régionales des comptes serve as courts of first instance for local public finances and have five regional seats. Their reports and declarations générale de conformité provide practical sources of public financial oversight. The Agence nationale d'identification, or ANID, operates under the Presidency of the Republic with technical supervision from the ministries responsible for digital economy and security. It maintains the national biometric database and social register. Togolese citizens and people residing in Togo can obtain a NIU and electronic identity credential. Registration is generally free. The usual process is online pre-registration, attendance at an enrolment centre, collection of biometric and demographic data, and issuance of the NIU or proof of identity, typically within 24 to 48 hours. Corrections and updates are possible, and data protection follows Loi n°2019-014. The portail service-public.gouv.tg provides citizen and business accounts, online applications, mobile-money or card payments, status tracking and document storage. Only procedures that have already been digitized can be completed online; other matters still require attendance at the responsible authority. Access is available from Togo and abroad, but coverage and fees vary by procedure. The Constitution protects freedom of expression, information, press, radio, television and digital communication within legal limits. HARC, the Haute Autorité de Régulation de la communication écrite, audiovisuelle et numérique, regulates media standards, pluralism, frequencies and online-platform duties. ARCEP regulates electronic communications and postal services, including operators, frequencies, numbering, consumer protection and certification. The service-public portal and the Journal officiel provide official information. The Ministry responsible for territorial administration manages the institutional registration of parties and associations, while election-related questions remain within the separate elections subject area. The President of the Council is the supreme commander of the armed forces and security forces. The Ministère de la Défense nationale is responsible for territorial integrity, internal security and foreign operations. The Ministère de la Sécurité et de la Protection civile covers protection of people and property, police, coordination with the gendarmerie, public order, borders, weapons and explosives, and disaster protection. The gendarmerie forms part of the armed forces. Security conditions in northern regions require particular attention because of terrorism and violent extremism. Police, gendarmerie, civil-protection services and the préfet are the principal access points for security assistance. Freedom and personal security are constitutionally protected; detention must have a legal basis, and garde à vue may last only for the strictly necessary period. A state of emergency, siege or crisis may initially last up to three months, with extensions beyond three months requiring the Assemblée nationale.
State in Togo
Togo is a secular, democratic, social, unitary and decentralized state governed by its constitutional order. Since the 2024 constitutional reform was practically activated on 3 May 2025, executive power is led by the President of the Council, while the President of the Republic primarily represents national unity and performs defined constitutional functions. Public authority operates through national institutions, courts, local governments, public administration, financial oversight and security services.
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