Togo term limit law allows president 10 more years of rule

President of Togo Faure Gnassingbe is seen during the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government 54th Ordinary Session in Abuja, Nigeria December 22, 2018.

A change in Togo’s law voted through on Thursday would allow longstanding President Faure Gnassingbe to stay in power potentially until 2030, extending his family’s rule in the West African country to 63 years despite widespread protests.

The constitutional change caps the presidential mandate to two five-year terms, ostensibly in response to calls from the opposition and street protestors for an end to a political dynasty that started when Gnassingbe’s father seized power in a 1967 coup.