Togo Opposition to Halt Protests as Regional Mediators Arrive

(Bloomberg) -- Togo’s opposition has agreed to suspend protests to allow West African mediators to resolve a months-long political crisis triggered by planned constitutional reforms which could extend the rule of President Faure Gnassingbe.

Mediators from Guinea and Ghana will oversee talks between the opposition and the government of the West African nation from Feb. 15, according to an emailed statement from the officials on Friday. There will be no street protests during that time, and the issue of opposition supporters in detention will be discussed first, they said in the statement.

The government welcomes the initiative and hopes that the talks will accelerate political reforms, Labor Minister Gilbert Bawara said in a text message. Spokesmen of the opposition weren’t immediately available to comment.

Political tension has run high in the tiny nation of 8 million people since August, with regular opposition-led protests drawing tens of thousands of people. Parliament last year adopted draft legislation to limit the number of presidential terms to two and change the voting system, paving the way for a national referendum on the issue.

A coalition of opposition parties rejects the proposal because the changes to the constitution aren’t retroactive and would enable Gnassingbe to extend his rule by at least 10 years. Togo has been governed by Gnassingbe since the 2005 death of his father Gnassingbe Eyadema, who seized power in a 1967 coup. A date for the referendum hasn’t been set.

To contact the reporter on this story: Kossi Woussou in Accra at kwoussou@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Karl Maier at kmaier2@bloomberg.net, Pauline Bax, Rene Vollgraaff

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