Opposition lawmakers inwards Togo forced the adjournment of parliament on Tuesday inwards protestation at a constitutional reform neb beingness left off the day's agenda, despite days of anti-government protests.
The president of the National Assembly, Dama Dramani, agreed to suspend the extraordinary session every bit lawmakers had "no say" inwards setting the topic for debate.
The exclusively dependent area on the agenda was the assembly's administrative budget for adjacent year. The session would resume on Wednesday, he added.
Eric Dupuy, spokesman for the primary opposition National Alliance for Change (ANC), blasted the parliament every bit "out of sync alongside what's happening politically" inwards Togo.
Security services had thrown upward a cordon around the parliament edifice inwards the capital, Lome, afterward opposition calls for a demonstration.
Last week, hundreds of thousands took to the streets of Lome in addition to cities across the province against President Faure Gnassingbe in addition to his household unit of measurement who bring held ability for fifty years.
He has been president since 2005 next the expiry of his father, Gnassingbe Eyadema, who had been inwards ability since 1967.
Opposition parties bring long called for the introduction of two-term limits for presidents in addition to a alter to the two-round voting system.
- 'Delaying tactic' -
Togo's 1992 constitution has been modified a discover of times, including past times Gnassingbe Eyadema, who inwards 2002 got rid of the limits on presidential mandates.
Last week, the regime appeared to offering a concession to protesters past times blessing a parliamentary neb on reform, suggesting lawmakers could ground it on Tuesday.
But Alphonse Waguena, secretary-general of the National Assembly, on Mon said a proper ground on constitutional reform could non live held at such brusk notice.
"The neb must live assigned to the constitutional constabulary commission," he told province television.
"The committee volition practise its chore in addition to create a written report that volition presented inwards a plenary session."
Dramani said the consultation procedure would at ane time begin. That risks making it a drawn-out affair, confounding opposition hopes of rapid reform.
Opposition leaders bring described the regime neb every bit a "delaying tactic". Attempts to speak over reform alongside the regime inwards previous years bring also come upward to nothing.
AFP