Legislated Gender Parity in Candidate Lists — Togo's 2013 Electoral Code (Article 220)

Article 220 of Togo's 2013 Electoral Code requires that candidate lists submitted by political parties, party coalitions and independents alternate equally between women and men — a 50% legislative target shared by only three other African countries (Algeria, Lesotho and Senegal).
The law has coincided with a gradual rise in women's representation in the National Assembly: from 16.5% (15 of 91 seats) after the 2018 election to 18.6% (21 of 113 seats) after the April 2024 election. By 2026, women held 21.24% of National Assembly seats and 26.22% of Senate seats, while remaining underrepresented in the executive (13.33% of ministerial posts) and in municipal and regional councils (under 15%).
A 2024 revision of the Electoral Code added a financial incentive — halving the mandatory candidacy deposit for women — but stopped short of sanctions for parties that ignore the parity requirement, and the 250,000 CFA franc deposit remains a barrier many women candidates struggle to meet. The gap between the legislated 50% target and actual outcomes shows that a parity mandate without enforcement teeth delivers steady but slow gains rather than parity itself.

Read the full analysis: https://www.togofirst.com/en/social/0501-17902-women-s-representation-rises-in-togo-but-economic-gaps-persist