At a press conference this Wednesday in Lomé, leaders of the “Touche pas A Ma Constitution” Front said they were “revolted and indignant” following the promulgation of the new constitution by Faure Gnassingbé. For these opposition political actors, resistance remains the only option to liberate this country. They invite the sovereign people to remain determined to fight for the democracy to which they aspire.
Read the opening statement sanctioning this meeting with the press.
“Don’t Touch My Constitution” Front
PRESS CONFERENCE
LOMÉ MAY 8, 2024 – HEADQUARTERS OF THE TOGOLAIS PARTY OPENING STATEMENT
On May 6, 2024, the regime proclaimed, against all odds, far from the gaze of the people, its private and confidential Constitution. Despite strong protests from the population, civil society organizations and the opposition, the leaders of the countries remained inflexible. They wanted their Constitution, they made it, voted for it, and promulgated it. May it remain theirs.
By promulgating his Constitution, Faure Gnassingbé confirms his contempt for the Togolese and proves that he is a danger for the country. This new Constitution, imposed forceps against the will of the people, cannot be the basis of the Togolese Nation. It cannot unite all the people. It is rather a factor of division which weakens national unity, instead of consolidating social cohesion.
Mr. Faure Gnassingbé now has his republican monarchy to satisfy his old dream of presidency for life, thanks to his 108 personal deputies, designated during the electoral masquerade of April 29.
The “Touche Pas A Ma Constitution” front, which has been fighting for several months against this untimely and illegal constitutional change, strongly denounces the actions of the regime.
Over the decades, this power has taken back from the Togolese, one after the other, all the democratic gains obtained through hard struggles, and at the price of the supreme sacrifice of many of our people. One of the last prerogatives of the people, namely the freedom to choose their President of the Republic, granted by the 1992 Constitution adopted in a referendum by more than 98% of Togolese, they decided to remove it.
We say NO to this crime! With this new coup d’état, this coup d’état too many, after that of 2005, the year when he took power by walking in the blood of more than a thousand of our compatriots, then the one of 2018, when he reset the term limit counters to zero, Faure Gnassingbé has just crossed the Rubicon. We are outraged! We are deeply outraged! The promulgation of their new Constitution does not at all put an end to the struggle waged by the Togolese people and the “Don’t Touch My Constitution” front.
On the contrary, we do not recognize this imposed law, we contest it and we refuse it. Just as we contested the disastrous conditions for the organization of legislative and regional elections whose results are fabricated by the agencies of power. All this sufficiently testifies that the electoral contests in our country are only a farce to deceive the international community and above all to confiscate power through immeasurable fraud. We also denounce the guilty benevolence of the Economic Community of States of the West Africa, the African Union, the Francophonie and the international community against a perverse regime which has no consideration for freedoms, the rule of law and democratic values.
The present silence of all these organizations, in view of the crisis situation due to the change of Constitution, reminds the Togolese people that they must first count on themselves.
Only one thing is necessary for us now. Resist ! Resist ! Resist again!
This is why we are committed to fierce and determined resistance, in order to definitively bury this disastrous project which devalues and discredits the Togolese. We must resist by leading a citizen struggle, a struggle for liberation.
The only objective that we must now pursue is to put an end to this regime of dictatorship, in order to open the paths to a transition which will reestablish the foundations of a new social contract.
To this end, we call on every Togolese, whatever their profession or social body, from the administration or not, civilian or not, to feel concerned, to mobilize and play their role as citizens wherever it be.
This is the appeal that the Land of Our Forefathers launches to each of us, to defend our Togo, the Gold of Humanity.
We are outraged, we are deeply revolted, we are also united and determined to defend our freedoms, to defend our rights and to defend the democracy to which the Togolese aspire.
Let the tyrants come, your heart longs for freedom!
Thank you
DMP – Dynamic for the Majority of the People (CDPA, DSA, Le NID, LA RACINE, MJS, FDP, GAMESSOU, BINDJEGUE BINDJE, LES ADMIS, ALCADES and personalities)
ADDI
THE DEMOCRATS
TOGOLESE PARTY
CAR Transition
UDS-Togo
PEOPLE’S HEALTH
CODITOGO
SOVEREIGN TOGO MOVEMENT (Together Togo, Sovereign Togo Front)
