Executive branch:
chief of state: President Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA (since 14 April
1967); election last held 25 August 1993 (next election to be held NA
1998); all major opposition parties boycotted the election; Gen.
EYADEMA won 96.5% of the vote
head of government: Prime Minister Edem KODJO (since April 1994)
cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president and the
prime minister
Legislative branch: unicameral
National Assembly: elections last held 6 and 20 February 1994 (next to
be held NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (81 total)
CAR 36, RPT 35, UTD 7, UJD 2, CFN 1
note: the Supreme Court ordered new elections for 3 seats of the
Action Committee for Renewal (CAR) and the Togolese Union for
Democracy (UTD), lowering their total to 34 and 6 seats, respectively;
the remaining 3 seats have not been filled
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal (Cour d'Appel), Supreme Court (Cour
Supreme)
Political parties and leaders: Rally of the Togolese People (RPT), President Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA; Coordination des Forces Nouvelles (CFN), Joseph KOFFIGOH; The Togolese Union for Democracy (UTD), Edem KODJO; The Action Committee for Renewal (CAR), Yao AGBOYIBOR; The Union for Democracy and Solidarity (UDS), Antoine FOLLY; The Pan-African Sociodemocrats Group (GSP), an alliance of three radical parties: The Democratic Convention of African Peoples (CDPA), Leopold GNININVI; The Party for Democracy and Renewal (PDR), Zarifou AYEVA; The Pan-African Social Party (PSP), Francis AGBAGLI; The Union of Forces for Change (UFC), Gilchrist OLYMPIO (in exile); Union of Justice and Democracy (UJD), Lal TAXPANDJAN note: Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) led by President EYADEMA was the only party until the formation of multiple parties was legalized 12 April 1991
Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEAO (observer), ECA, ECOWAS,
Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, MINURSO, NAM,
OAU, UN, UNAMIR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WCL, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Charge d'Affaires Edem Frederic HEGBE
chancery: 2208 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 234-4212
FAX: [1] (202) 232-3190
US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador Johnny YOUNG (since September 1994) embassy: Rue Pelletier Caventou and Rue Vauban, Lome mailing address: B. P. 852, Lome telephone: [228] 21 77 17, 21 29 91 through 21 29 94 FAX: [228] 21 79 52
Flag: five equal horizontal bands of green (top and bottom) alternating with yellow; there is a white five-pointed star on a red square in the upper hoist-side corner; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
@Togo:Economy
Overview: The economy is heavily dependent on subsistence agriculture, which accounts for about half of GDP and provides employment for 80% of the labor force. Primary agricultural exports are cocoa, coffee, and cotton, which together generate about 30% of total export earnings. Togo is self-sufficient in basic foodstuffs when harvests are normal. In the industrial sector phosphate mining is by far the most important activity, although it has suffered from the collapse of world phosphate prices and increased foreign competition. Togo serves as a regional commercial and trade center. The government's decade-long IMF and World Bank supported effort to implement economic reform measures to encourage foreign investment and bring revenues in line with expenditures has stalled. Political unrest, including private and public sector strikes throughout 1992 and 1993, has jeopardized the reform program, shrunk the tax base, and disrupted vital economic activity. Although strikes had ended in 1994, political unrest and lack of funds prevented the government from taking advantage of the 50% currency devaluation of January 1994. Resumption of World Bank and IMF flows will depend on implementation of several controversial moves toward privatization and on downsizing the military, on which the regime depends to stay in power.