Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové, 85, one of the prominent figures of the Togolese opposition, was elected President of the Republic on Saturday, May 3, 2025. As the sole candidate, he will hold an honorary position in the new parliamentary system.
On Saturday, May 3, 150 Togolese parliamentarians from the National Assembly and the Senate gathered in Congress. They elected the only candidate in the running, presented by the ruling party Union for the Republic (UNIR): Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové. He was elected President of the Republic with 150 votes out of 150.
The constitutional amendment of May 6, 2024, marking the advent of the Togolese Fifth Republic, transformed the political system by replacing the presidential regime with a parliamentary system.
According to the new Constitution, the President of the Republic will now be elected for a renewable 4-year term, with a role that is mainly symbolic.
Born on May 7, 1939, in Lomé, Jean-Lucien Savi de Tové is a significant figure in Togolese political history. He served as Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Handicrafts from 2005 to 2007.
Additionally, the Togolese National Assembly confirmed on Saturday, in a plenary session, the appointment of Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé as President of the Council, a position established by the constitutional reform of May 2024.
He now leads the government under this new parliamentary system, thus holding nearly all executive power.