Middle East & Africa | A family business

Togo promises development, not democracy

Yet it is not a deal that Togolese want to take

Togolese President and candidate for re-election of the ruling Union for the Republic (UNIR) party Faure Gnassingbe speaks after a visit to a military facility at Namoundjoga village in northern Togo, on February 17, 2020. - Togolese President Gnassingbe of the ruling Union for the Republic party has began a tour of military facilities to get acquainted with preparedness of the military in the face of the insurgency across the Sahel region, and to further drum up support from the constituency ahead of his bid for re-election on February 22, despite widespread protests by the opposition calling for the end of his family's decades-long grip on power. (Photo by PIUS UTOMI EKPEI / AFP) (Photo by PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP via Getty Images) — A Faustian bargainImage: AFP

Jan 26th 2023|LOMÉ

“Democracy is the best tool we have to address the wide range of challenges we all face, ” President Joe Biden declared at a summit of African leaders in December, “and that belief is shared by Africans and Americans alike.” Some guests may have struggled to keep a straight face. Among those attending were strongmen such as Paul Kagame, who has called the shots in Rwanda for almost 30 years, and Faure Gnassingbé (pictured), whose family has run Togo for 56 years. Although happy to offer platitudes about democracy in Washington in return for aid, at home both presidents are pushing an alternative model on their people: authoritarian rule in exchange for a promise of development.

This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “A family business ”