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Across Africa, coups are often imagined as tanks on the streets and soldiers on state television. Yet the most dangerous coups of the modern era are quieter, bloodless, and wrapped in legal language. They are executed not by generals, but by presidents. Few leaders embody this phenomenon more starkly than Faure Gnassingbé of Togo and Paul Biya of Cameroon—two men whose prolonged grip on power represents the clearest examples of constitutional coup d’état on the African continent.
The Architecture of Power Without Consent
A constitutional coup d’état occurs when leaders manipulate, amend, or reinterpret the constitution to perpetuate themselves in power while maintaining a façade of legality. It is governance by legal deception—where the constitution, originally designed to limit power, becomes a tool to entrench it.
In Togo and Cameroon, the constitution has not been violated outright; it has been weaponized.
Faure Gnassingbé: From Inherited Power to Legalized Permanence
The Gnassingbé dynasty is one of Africa’s most enduring political families. Gnassingbé Eyadéma ruled Togo from 1967 until his death in 2005—38 years of uninterrupted power. Upon his death, the military swiftly installed his son, Faure Gnassingbé, in clear violation of the constitution. International pressure forced an election, but the damage was done: power had become hereditary.
Since assuming office in 2005, Faure Gnassingbé has repeatedly manipulated the constitutional framework to remain in power. Elections have been marred by allegations of fraud, repression, and violence. Protests demanding reform have been met with arrests, intimidation, and lethal force.
In 2024, the regime executed its most audacious maneuver yet—replacing the presidential system with a parliamentary one without popular consensus. This shift effectively removed presidential term limits and repositioned Faure Gnassingbé to rule indefinitely as President of the Council of Ministers, a role with sweeping executive powers and no clear term restriction. Many Togolese and international observers rightly describe this as a constitutional coup d’état, achieved without tanks, but with pens.
Paul Biya: Four Decades of Rule by Amendment
If Faure Gnassingbé represents dynastic continuity, Paul Biya represents personal permanence. Biya has ruled Cameroon since 1982, making him one of the longest-serving non-royal leaders in the world.
Originally, Cameroon’s constitution imposed term limits. But in 2008, Biya engineered a constitutional amendment removing them entirely, clearing the path for unlimited re-election. The move sparked nationwide protests that were violently suppressed, resulting in deaths, arrests, and a climate of fear.
Today, Biya remains in power more than 40 years later, often governing from abroad while the country grapples with political repression, economic stagnation, and a devastating Anglophone crisis. Elections are held regularly, yet power never changes hands. The constitution exists—but only to serve the ruler.
The High Cost of Legalized Authoritarianism
The consequences of constitutional coups are profound and enduring:
Democratic erosion: Citizens lose faith in elections and institutions.
Youth disenfranchisement: An entire generation grows up knowing only one leader.
Corruption entrenchment: Prolonged rule creates networks of patronage and impunity.
Instability: When peaceful change becomes impossible, violent alternatives become tempting.
Ironically, the normalization of constitutional coups has contributed to the rise of military takeovers across West and Central Africa. When civilians manipulate constitutions to rule for life, soldiers justify their interventions as “corrective”—a dangerous and destabilizing cycle.
International Silence and Regional Complicity
Perhaps the most troubling aspect of these regimes is not merely their actions, but the silence that surrounds them. Regional bodies such as ECOWAS and the African Union have often failed to act decisively against constitutional manipulation. International partners, prioritizing stability over democracy, continue to engage authoritarian leaders, inadvertently legitimizing their rule.
This silence sends a dangerous message: that constitutions can be bent without consequence.
Africa’s Democracy at a Crossroads
Faure Gnassingbé and Paul Biya are not anomalies; they are symptoms of a broader crisis of constitutionalism in Africa. Their rule illustrates how democracy can be dismantled without a single shot being fired—through amendments, reinterpretations, and engineered transitions.
Africa’s future depends not only on resisting military coups, but on confronting constitutional coups with equal urgency. Term limits must be respected. Constitutions must serve the people, not presidents. And leadership must never become a lifetime entitlement.
As history has shown, nations do not collapse only when constitutions are broken—but also when they are hijacked
