Joseph Kokou Koffigoh

Joseph Kokou Koffigoh (* 1948) was from 1991 to 1994 Prime Minister of Togo.

Political career

Koffigoh is a lawyer and was an activist in human rights groups long in opposition to the 1967 authoritarian President Gnassingbe Eyadema ruling.

He was born on August 27, 1991 head of government, as a national conference the President presented a prime minister to the side to limit its power. The office of Prime Minister was abolished in 1961. In the first phase of his reign mutinous soldiers were his main problem who wanted to violently restore Eyeadémas power. In October, a failed attempt to kidnap him and in November his official residence was surrounded by tanks. The measures provided for 1992, free presidential elections were canceled. The conflict between supporters of the President and Koffigohs government could be settled under international mediation.

The President understood it, with the support of the army to maintain its position of power and to confirm with 96.42 % of votes in the office on 25 August 1993, the elections were boycotted by most opposition parties. Koffigohs term ended on 23 April 1994, when the opposition leader Edem Kodjo was asked to form a coalition government. Koffigoh had been elected to Parliament in the first multiparty elections since 1958 as the only deputy of his party Coordination des Forces Nouvelles ( CFN) in February. In 1998 he became Foreign Minister in the government of Kwassi Klutse and remained until 2000 in office.

As a mediator, he was involved in negotiations for an armistice during the civil war in Guinea- Bissau and on the negotiations in Lomé for a peace agreement between the warring factions in Sierra Leone in 1999. In October 2000, he was Minister of Regional Development and Relations with Parliament.

In May 2005 he was chairman of a commission of inquiry to investigate the violent clashes during the presidential elections on 24 April 2005, which was won Faure Gnassingbe, son of the deceased in February Eyeadéma for themselves.