List of prime ministers of Togo

President of the Council of Ministers of the Togolese Republic
Président du Conseil des Ministres de la République togolaise
Emblem of Togo
Incumbent Victoire Tomegah Dogbé since 28 September 2020
Type	Head of government
Member of	Council of Ministers
Reports to	President Parliament
Nominator	President
Appointer	President
Term length	At the pleasure of the President Six years, renewable indefinitely
Formation	27 April 1960
First holder	Sylvanus Olympio

This is a list of prime ministers of Togo since the formation of the post of prime minister in 1960, to the present day.

A total of thirteen people have served as Prime Minister of Togo – twelve men and one woman. Among them, one person, Edem Kodjo, has served on two non-consecutive occasions.

The incumbent prime minister, Victoire Tomegah Dogbé, was appointed by president Faure Gnassingbé. She took the oath on 28 September 2020.

History of the office

1991 conflict with the presidency

In the months following the appointment of Joseph Kokou Koffigoh as prime minister by the National Conference on 27 August 1991, ^[1] the soldiers of the Togolese Armed Forces (FAT) loyal to President Gnassingbé Eyadéma repeatedly tried to oust Koffigoh:

• On 1 October 1991, the soldiers seized the national radio and television station and demanded that Koffigoh resign ^{[1] [2]} before leaving the station; Koffigoh said afterwards on the radio that order was restored. ^[2]
• On 8 October 1991, the soldiers unsuccessfully tried to kidnap Koffigoh, and four people were reported killed in protests and violence that followed. ^[3]
• In late November 1991, the soldiers began a siege of Koffigoh's official residence in Lomé after Eyadéma's party, the Rally of the Togolese People (RPT), was banned by the transitional High Council of the Republic (HCR). ^[4] They demanded that Koffigoh's government be replaced and threatening to "reduce the city to ashes"; ^[5] they also demanded that the RPT be legalized again and that the HCR be dissolved. ^[6] Koffigoh called for French military aid. Eyadéma publicly called on the soldiers to return to their barracks and expressed continued trust in Koffigoh, but also invited him to begin consultations on the formation of a new national unity government. ^[5] After two days of talks, the soldiers lifted their siege; ^[6] however, they promptly resumed it. ^[7] Koffigoh then offered to include supporters of Eyadéma in the government, but he refused to dissolve his government altogether, and he again called for French aid. ^[8] On 3 December 1991, the soldiers succeeded in capturing Koffigoh in a heavy assault on his official residence, involving tanks and machine guns. Many people were killed in this violence: ^{[9] [10]} at least 17, ^[9] and possibly more than 200. ^[10] The soldiers then took Koffigoh to meet with Eyadéma, ^[9] who was widely believed to have been behind the soldiers' actions, although he did not take responsibility for them. Later on the same day, Eyadéma released a statement saying that he and Koffigoh would form a new transitional government. Although Koffigoh remained in office, his power was considered curtailed. ^[10] On 31 December, a new government headed by Koffigoh was announced, including three members of the RPT; most members of the previous government remained in their posts. ^[4]

2024 constitutional reform

In March 2024, President Faure Gnassingbé has announced a new constitution. The proposed new constitution turns Togo from a presidential system to a federal parliamentary one, weakening the powers of the president, strengthening the powers of the prime minister, renaming the office the President of the Council of Ministers, and as well as giving the new role a maximum term of six years. The new constitution came into force in April 2024 after a vote in parliament. ^[11]

Duties and competences

The president of the Republic appoints the prime minister. He terminates his functions. ^[12]

The prime minister is the head of the Government. He directs the action of the Government and coordinates the functions of the other members. He presides over the Committees of Defense. He substitutes for, the case arising, the president of the Republic in the presidency of the Councils provided for in Articles 66 and 72 of this Constitution. He assures the interim of the head of the State in case of incapacity for cause of illness or of absence from the national territory. ^[13]

Before his entry into office, the prime minister presents before the National Assembly the program of action of his Government. ^[13]

The National Assembly accords its confidence to him by a vote with the absolute majority of its members. ^[13]

The prime minister assures the execution of the laws. ^[14]

He may delegate certain of his powers to the ministers. ^[14]

The acts of the president of the Republic other than those provided for in Articles 4, 66, 68, 73, 74, 98, 100, 104 and 109 of this Constitution, are countersigned by the Prime Minister or, the case arising, by the Ministers given the charge of their execution. ^[15]

List of officeholders

Political parties

   Committee of Togolese Unity (CUT)

   Coordination of New Forces (CFN)

   Togolese Union for Democracy (UTD)

   Rally of the Togolese People (RPT)

   Pan-African Patriotic Convergence (CPP)

   Action Committee for Renewal (CAR)

   Union for the Republic (UNIR)

Other factions

   Independent

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party	President(s)
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Sylvanus Olympio (1902–1963)	27 April 1960	12 April 1961	350 days	CUT	Himself
Post abolished (12 April 1961 – 27 August 1991)
2		Joseph Kokou Koffigoh (born 1948)	27 August 1991	23 April 1994	2 years, 239 days	CFN	Eyadéma
3		Edem Kodjo (1938–2020)	23 April 1994	20 August 1996	2 years, 119 days	UTD
4		Kwassi Klutse (1945–2024)	20 August 1996	21 May 1999	2 years, 274 days	RPT
5		Eugène Koffi Adoboli (1934–2025)	21 May 1999	31 August 2000	1 year, 102 days	RPT
6		Agbéyomé Kodjo (1954–2024)	31 August 2000	29 June 2002	1 year, 302 days	RPT
7		Koffi Sama (born 1944)	29 June 2002	9 June 2005	2 years, 345 days	RPT
							Gnassingbé
							Abass
							Gnassingbé
(3)		Edem Kodjo (1938–2020)	9 June 2005	20 September 2006	1 year, 103 days	CPP
8		Yawovi Agboyibo (1943–2020)	20 September 2006	6 December 2007	1 year, 77 days	CAR
9		Komlan Mally (born 1960)	6 December 2007	8 September 2008	277 days	RPT
10		Gilbert Houngbo (born 1961)	8 September 2008	23 July 2012	3 years, 319 days	Independent
11		Kwesi Ahoomey-Zunu (born 1958)	23 July 2012	10 June 2015	2 years, 322 days	CPP (until 2013)
						UNIR
12		Komi Sélom Klassou (born 1960)	10 June 2015	28 September 2020	5 years, 110 days	UNIR
13		Victoire Tomegah Dogbé (born 1959)	28 September 2020	Incumbent	4 years, 208 days	UNIR

Timeline

See also

• List of presidents of Togo
• List of colonial governors of Togo
• Politics of Togo

References

1. "Oct 1991 — Failure of coup attempts", Keesing's Record of World Events, volume 37, October 1991, page 38,518.
2. "Effort to oust Togo's interim leader fails", Deseret News, 1 October 1991.
3. "4 Killed After Rebel Troops Fail to Kidnap Togo Premier", The New York Times, 9 October 1991.
4. "Togo Leader Adds to Cabinet to End Crisis", The New York Times, 2 January 1992.
5. "France Moves Troops to Block Togo Coup", Associated Press, 30 November 1991.
6. "Soldiers abandon coup bid in Togo", The New York Times, 1 December 1991.
7. "Soldiers, Breaking Promise, Resume Palace Siege in Togo", The New York Times, 2 December 1991.
8. "Togo's Prime Minister Proposes Compromise", The New York Times, 3 December 1991.
9. "Rebels Seize Togolese Premier", The New York Times, 4 December 1991.
10. "Despite a Coup, Togo's Reform Prime Minister Clings to Post", Reuters, 5 December 1991.
11. "Togo has adopted major constitutional changes to give parliament more power: how it will work". The Conversation. 1 May 2024.
12. Article 66 of the Constitution of 1992.
13. Article 78 of the Constitution of 1992.
14. Article 79 of the Constitution of 1992.
15. Article 80 of the Constitution of 1992.

External links

• World Statesmen – Togo
• 1992 Constitution of Togo (as amended in 2007)