Kwassi Klutse
Encyclopedia
Kwassi Klutse is a Togo
lese politician who was the Prime Minister of Togo from August 20, 1996 to May 21, 1999.
Klutse was born in Agbélouvé, Zio Prefecture
. After working as an official at the Ministry of Planning from 1977 to 1995, he was appointed to the government of Prime Minister Edem Kodjo
as Minister of Planning and Territorial Development on November 29, 1995. Subsequently, in by-elections that were held in constituencies where the results of the 1994 parliamentary election
had been annulled, the Rally of the Togolese People
(RPT) of President Gnassingbé Eyadéma
won all three constituencies at stake, giving it and its allies a parliamentary majority and enabling it to form a new government without relying on Kodjo's Togolese Union for Democracy (UTD) party. Klutse was then appointed as Prime Minister by Eyadéma on August 20, 1996.
Previously not a member of a political party, in 1997 Klutse joined the RPT and became a member of its Political Bureau. On August 19, 1998, Eyadéma accepted the resignation of Klutse and his government, but he reappointed Klutse on August 20 to head a new government,
which was named on September 1. The opposition refused to participate in this government, and Klutse, speaking on television, "deplore[d] that the sincere and brotherly hand extended by the president was not accepted by the leaders of the opposition".
In the March 1999 parliamentary election
, Klutse was elected to the National Assembly
as the RPT candidate in the First Constituency of Zio Prefecture; he was unopposed and won the seat with 100% of the vote. He and his government resigned on April 17, 1999; Eyadéma accepted the resignation, and Klutse's government remained temporarily in office in a caretaker capacity. Eyadéma appointed Eugène Koffi Adoboli
as Klutse's successor on May 21, 1999.
Klutse was re-elected to the National Assembly in the October 2002 parliamentary election
from the First Constituency of Zio Prefecture.
In the October 2007 parliamentary election
, Klutse was the second candidate on the RPT's candidate list in Zio Prefecture, but failed to win a seat; all three seats in Zio were won by the opposition Union of the Forces of Change (UFC).
Klutse remains a member of the Political Bureau of the RPT and was again chosen as a member of the RPT Central Committee from Zio Prefecture at the party's 9th Congress in December 2006.
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
lese politician who was the Prime Minister of Togo from August 20, 1996 to May 21, 1999.
Klutse was born in Agbélouvé, Zio Prefecture
Zio, Togo
Zio is a prefecture located in the Maritime Region of Togo. The prefecture seat is located in Tsévié....
. After working as an official at the Ministry of Planning from 1977 to 1995, he was appointed to the government of Prime Minister Edem Kodjo
Edem Kodjo
Édouard Kodjovi Kodjo, better known as Edem Kodjo , is a Togolese politician and diplomat. He was Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity from 1978 to 1983; later, in Togo, he was a prominent opposition leader after the introduction of multiparty politics. He served as Prime...
as Minister of Planning and Territorial Development on November 29, 1995. Subsequently, in by-elections that were held in constituencies where the results of the 1994 parliamentary election
Togolese parliamentary election, 1994
Parliamentary elections were held in Togo on 6 February 1994, with a second round on 18 March in 24 constituencies. The first multi-party elections since they 1960s, they saw the ruling Rally of the Togolese People finish second behind the Action Committee for Renewal , who together with their...
had been annulled, the Rally of the Togolese People
Rally of the Togolese People
The Rally of the Togolese People is the ruling political party in Togo. The President of Togo, Faure Gnassingbé, is also the National President of the RPT....
(RPT) of President Gnassingbé Eyadéma
Gnassingbé Eyadéma
General Gnassingbé Eyadéma , was the President of Togo from 1967 until his death in 2005. He participated in two successful military coups, in January 1963 and January 1967, and became President on April 14, 1967...
won all three constituencies at stake, giving it and its allies a parliamentary majority and enabling it to form a new government without relying on Kodjo's Togolese Union for Democracy (UTD) party. Klutse was then appointed as Prime Minister by Eyadéma on August 20, 1996.
Previously not a member of a political party, in 1997 Klutse joined the RPT and became a member of its Political Bureau. On August 19, 1998, Eyadéma accepted the resignation of Klutse and his government, but he reappointed Klutse on August 20 to head a new government,
which was named on September 1. The opposition refused to participate in this government, and Klutse, speaking on television, "deplore[d] that the sincere and brotherly hand extended by the president was not accepted by the leaders of the opposition".
In the March 1999 parliamentary election
Togolese parliamentary election, 1999
Parliamentary elections were held in Togo on 21 March 1999. They were boycotted by the eight opposition parties, who been rebuffed in their insistence that talks following the controversial presidential election the previous year must be completed prior to the parliamentary election...
, Klutse was elected to the National Assembly
National Assembly of Togo
The unicameral National Assembly of Togo is the country's legislative body. It has a total of 81 members who are elected in a party list proportional representation system...
as the RPT candidate in the First Constituency of Zio Prefecture; he was unopposed and won the seat with 100% of the vote. He and his government resigned on April 17, 1999; Eyadéma accepted the resignation, and Klutse's government remained temporarily in office in a caretaker capacity. Eyadéma appointed Eugène Koffi Adoboli
Eugene Koffi Adoboli
Eugene Koffi Adoboli served as Prime Minister of Togo from 21 May 1998 to 31 August 2000. He was previously an international civil servant at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in Geneva and the United Nations Joint Inspection Unit for over 40 years...
as Klutse's successor on May 21, 1999.
Klutse was re-elected to the National Assembly in the October 2002 parliamentary election
Togolese parliamentary election, 2002
Parliamentary elections were held in Togo on 27 October 2002. Like the previous elections in 1999, they were boycotted by nine opposition parties , following the replacement of the Independent National Electoral Commission by a seven-magistrate committee and a revision of the Electoral Code...
from the First Constituency of Zio Prefecture.
In the October 2007 parliamentary election
Togolese parliamentary election, 2007
A parliamentary election was held in Togo on October 14, 2007 for the 81 seats in the National Assembly. There were over 2,000 candidates, with 32 parties and 41 lists of independent candidates competing. The ruling Rally of the Togolese People was victorious, winning a majority of 50 seats...
, Klutse was the second candidate on the RPT's candidate list in Zio Prefecture, but failed to win a seat; all three seats in Zio were won by the opposition Union of the Forces of Change (UFC).
Klutse remains a member of the Political Bureau of the RPT and was again chosen as a member of the RPT Central Committee from Zio Prefecture at the party's 9th Congress in December 2006.