Overview

• Voting on July 17 covered all 117 municipal councils under unprecedented police and military patrols.
• Turnout plunged to record lows in Lomé as citizens stayed away in fear and disillusionment.
• Civil society groups and diaspora-based activists, including the M66 Citizens’ Movement, urged a full election boycott.
• Land borders remained closed and public demonstrations stayed banned to prevent clashes with post-protest unrest.
• This was the first national vote since May’s constitutional reform installed Faure Gnassingbé as president of the Council of Ministers without term limits.