Faure Gnassingbé
Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé (French pronunciation: [foʁ ɲasɛ̃ɡbe]; born 6 June 1966) is a Togolese politician who has been the president of Togo since 2005. Before assuming the presidency, he was appointed by his father, President Gnassingbé Eyadéma, as Minister of Equipment, Mines, Posts, and Telecommunications, serving from 2003 to 2005.
Faure Gnassingbé | |
|---|---|
Gnassingbé in 2021 | |
| 4th President of Togo | |
| Assumed office 4 May 2005 | |
| Prime Minister | See List
|
| Preceded by | Bonfoh Abass (Acting) |
| In office 5 February 2005 – 25 February 2005 | |
| Prime Minister | Koffi Sama |
| Preceded by | Gnassingbé Eyadéma |
| Succeeded by | Bonfoh Abass (Acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 June 1966 Afagnan, Togo |
| Political party | UNIR (2012–present) RPT (1990–2012) |
| Spouse | Nana Ama Kufuor |
| Relations | Gnassingbé Eyadéma (father) Kpatcha (half-brother) |
| Alma mater | Paris Dauphine University George Washington (MBA) |
Following President Eyadéma's death in 2005, Gnassingbé was immediately installed as president with support from the army. Doubts regarding the constitutional legitimacy of the succession led to heavy regional pressure being placed on Gnassingbé, and he subsequently resigned on 25 February. He then won a controversial presidential election on 24 April 2005, and was sworn in as president. Gnassingbé was re-elected for a second term in 2010.
In the April 2015 presidential election, Gnassingbé won a third term, defeating his main challenger, Jean-Pierre Fabre, by a margin of about 59% to 35%, according to official results. In the February 2020 presidential elections, Gnassingbé won his fourth presidential term in office as the president of Togo. According to the official result, he won with a margin of around 72% of the vote share. This enabled him to defeat his closest challenger, the former prime minister Agbeyome Kodjo who had 18%. The legitimacy of elections in Togo is widely disputed.