Rally of the Togolese People

Rally of the Togolese People
Founder Gnassingbé Eyadéma
Founded 1969
Dissolved 2012
Succeeded by UNIR
Headquarters Lomé, Togo
Ideology African nationalism

The Rally of the Togolese People (French: Rassemblement du Peuple Togolais, RPT) was the ruling political party in Togo from 1969 to 2012. It was founded by President Gnassingbé Eyadéma and headed by his son, President Faure Gnassingbé, after the former's death in 2005. Faure Gnassingbé replaced the RPT with a new ruling party, the Union for the Republic (UNIR), in April 2012, dissolving the RPT.[1][2][3]

History

The RPT was founded in late 1969, under President Gnassingbé Eyadéma.[4] The party's first Secretary-General was Edem Kodjo.[5] It was the only legally permitted party in the country, a role further entrenched in a new constitution adopted in 1979. Under its provisions, the president of the party was elected to a seven-year term as president of the republic, and confirmed in office by a plebiscite.

After 22 years of single-party rule by the RPT, a National Conference was held in July–August 1991, establishing a transitional government leading to multiparty elections.[6] The RPT was legally dissolved by the National Conference on 27 August 1991.[7] After the party was banned in November 1991 by the High Council of the Republic (the transitional parliament), a political crisis occurred in which soldiers loyal to Eyadéma, who demanded that the ban on the RPT be lifted, captured Prime Minister Joseph Kokou Koffigoh in December.[6]

In the parliamentary election held on 27 October 2002, the party won 72 out of 81 seats in the National Assembly of Togo. Following the death of Eyadéma in February 2005, the RPT designated his son, Faure Gnassingbé, as the party's leader and its candidate in the presidential election of 24 April 2005, in which he won 60.2% of the vote.

The RPT's 9th Congress was held in December 2006, and Solitoki Esso was elected as the party's Secretary-General for a three-year term.[8] Previous Secretaries-General include Koffi Sama, elected in late 2000, and Dama Dramani, elected in late 2003.

The RPT won 50 out of 81 National Assembly seats in the October 2007 parliamentary election.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Togo : le RPT est mort, que vive l'Unir" (in French). Radio France Internationale. April 15, 2012. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
  2. ↑ Yvette Attiogbé (April 14, 2012). "The Dissolution of the RPT – It is Official". togo-online.co.uk. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
  3. ↑ Folly Mozolla (April 15, 2012). "Faure Gnassingbé has created his party Union pour la République (UNIR) in Atakpamé". togo-online.co.uk. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Background Note: Togo", U.S. Department of State, August 2007.
  5. ↑ "EDEM KODJO À VISAGE DÉCOUVERT", diastode.org (French).
  6. 1 2 "Togo Leader Adds to Cabinet to End Crisis", The New York Times, 2 January 1992.
  7. ↑ "Resolution No.3 du 27 Aout 1991 — Portant dissolution du Rassemblement du Peuple Togolais — RPT Parti Unique Parti-Etat", Journal Official de la Republique Togolaise, 17 December 1991 (French).
  8. ↑ "Togo: Ruling party ends congress, elects new secretary-general", Radio Togo, Lome (nl.newsbank.com), December 19, 2006.
  9. ↑ "Le RPT remporte les premières élections pluralistes", Republicoftogo.com, October 30, 2007 (French).

See also

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