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Togolese Republic

Togo Republic

TOGO. Togo Republic


A country in West Africa. It borders Ghana, Benin, and Burkina Faso. To the south, it is washed by the waters of the Gulf of Guinea.

Area — 56,785 km². Coastline length - 50 km, land borders - 1,650 km. Capital - Lomé (over 600 thousand), other major cities: Sokodé (55 thousand), Lama-Kara (40 thousand), Kpalimé (35 thousand). Administrative-territorial division — 5 regions. Population - 4.9 million (2004). The country has over 40 ethnicities and ethnic groups, among which the main ones are Ewe and Kabre. The official language is French. Religion: about half of the population adheres to traditional beliefs and cults, Catholics make up 26%, Protestants - 9%, Sunni Muslims - 15%. Currency - CFA franc (656 CFA francs = 1 euro).

It has diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation (established with the USSR on May 1, 1960).

National holiday — April 27 - Independence Day (1960).

The highest legislative body - a unicameral National Assembly (81 deputies, elected for a 4-year term). Extraordinary parliamentary elections were held on October 27, 2002 (postponed 3 times since 2000). The victory was won by the Union of the Togolese People (72 mandates). The opposition boycotted the elections. Prime Minister - Édem Kodjo (since June 8, 2005).

Main political parties: pro-presidential Union of the Togolese People and opposition Committees for Action for Renewal, Union of Forces for Change, Democratic Convention of African States.

In the 17th-18th centuries, the territory of modern Togo was dominated by early feudal states - Ashanti and Dahomey. In the 19th century, there were small state formations uniting the Ewe ethnic group in the south, Kotokoli in the center, and Chokossi in the north. From 1884 to 1914, the country was under German protectorate. After World War I, it was divided between France and Great Britain. In 1956-57, the territory of British Togo joined Ghana, while the French part received the status of an autonomous republic. On April 27, 1960, the Republic of Togo gained independence, and since 1963 it has been known as the Togo Republic.

Togo is a member of the UN and AU.

The first democratically elected president of the country, S. Olympio, was overthrown and killed during a military coup in 1963. In January 1967, as a result of another coup, the second head of state, N. Gryunitsky, was removed.

Since 1972, the president of Togo until his death in February 2005 was Gnassingbé Eyadéma (he was last re-elected in June 2003 for another 5-year term). On February 5, 2005, the military command proclaimed one of the sons of the former president, Faure Gnassingbé, who previously held a ministerial position, as head of state. However, under pressure from the opposition and the international community, particularly the European Union, the African Union, and the Economic Community of West African States, on November 25, 2005, Faure Gnassingbé left the presidency. According to the constitution, the temporary head of state became the newly elected chairman of the National Assembly of Togo, Abbas Bonfo.

In the early presidential elections held on April 24, 2005, Faure Gnassingbé won, receiving 60.2% of the votes. Before the announcement of the election results, the president of Nigeria, the chairman of the AU, O. Obasanjo, met in Abuja with Faure Gnassingbé and his main competitor in the elections, E. Bob-Akitani. During the meeting, an agreement was reached to form a national unity government in Togo after the elections.

The opposition declared its non-recognition of the election results, and E. Bob-Akitani unilaterally proclaimed himself the elected president. The Union of Forces for Change rejected Faure Gnassingbé's proposal to create a national unity government. The announcement of the election results led to an escalation of the confrontation between opposition supporters and security forces. Thousands of Togolese refugees took shelter in neighboring Benin and Ghana.

On December 30, 2002, the Parliament of Togo amended the constitution, allowing the head of state to be re-elected an unlimited number of times. On November 21, 2005, an amendment to the constitution was adopted, according to which, if the presidency becomes vacant for any reason, the duties are temporarily performed by the chairman of the National Assembly. The government organizes and conducts elections for a new head of state within 60 days from the announcement of the presidential vacancy.

In April 2004, the Togolese leadership committed to starting an "open and trusting dialogue between the government, the 'traditional' opposition, and civil society." This dialogue began on May 27, 2004.

In July 2004, the government announced the establishment of a Committee to prepare a draft updated electoral code, as well as a bill on the financing of political parties. The authorities took some measures to liberalize the judicial and penitentiary system. Thus, in August 2004, about 500 prisoners were released from prisons under a presidential amnesty. In the same month, a new Press and Communications Code was adopted at the initiative of the government.

Despite positive macroeconomic indicators in 2004 (GDP growth - 4.2%), Togo is among the poorest countries in the world and ranks 143rd out of 177 countries in the UNDP classification (2004) based on the total indicators of socio-economic development. The annual income per capita is 325 euros. The inflation rate in 2004 decreased by 1%. The country's external debt at the end of 2004 was 1,272 million euros.

Agriculture is the main sector of the economy, contributing 40.1% of GDP, employing over 60% of the working-age population. Main export goods - cotton, coffee, and cocoa (27% of exports).

Industry accounts for 21.6% of GDP. It is mainly represented by phosphate mining, which produces 2.5 million tons (5th place in the world) and accounts for over 40% of all export revenues. Gold ore and marble are also mined. There are several enterprises for processing agricultural products. In October 2002, the government of Togo and the American company "Hunt Oil International Overseas" signed an agreement to begin joint exploitation of Togolese oil fields.

Main export items of Togo - phosphates, cotton, coffee, cocoa. Main foreign trade partners - France, China, Benin, and Ghana.

Togo occupies a favorable geographical position at the center of transport routes, providing several landlocked African countries with access to the sea. A sufficiently developed infrastructure brings significant income to the country. The deep-water port of Lomé can handle up to 6 million tons of cargo annually. The capital's international airport is the 3rd largest in West Africa and accommodates all types of aircraft, with the terminal capable of serving nearly 700,000 passengers a year.

The length of the road network (approximately 1/4 of which is paved) is 7,500 km, and the railway network exceeds 500 km.

A government newspaper is published - "Togo-Press." The government information agency is the Togolese Press Agency. There are state radio and television stations.
3-06-2018, 12:07
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