prepare for benchmark legislative elections, originally scheduled for June 24, 2007. CAR opposition party leader and human rights lawyer Yawovi Agboyibo was appointed Prime Minister of the transitional government in September 2006. Leopold Gnininvi, president of the CDPA party, was appointed minister of state for mines and energy. The third opposition party, UFC, headed by Gilchrist Olympio, declined to join the government, but agreed to participate in the national electoral commission and the National Dialogue follow-up committee, chaired by Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore. Parliamentary elections took place on October 14, 2007. Olympio, who returned from exile to campaign, took part for the first time in 17 years. The ruling party, Rally of the Togolese People (RPT), won a majority of the parliamentary seats in the election. International observers declared the poll "largely" free and fair. Despite these assurances, the secretary-general of the opposition party Union of Forces for Change(UFC) initially stated that his party would not accept the election results. Mr Olympio stated that the election results did not properly represent the voters' will, pointing out that the UFC received nearly as many votes as the RPT, but that due to the way the electoral system was designed the UFC won far fewer seats. In April 2015, President Faure Gnassingbe was re-elected for a third term. In February 2020, Faure Gnassingbé was again re-elected for his fourth presidential term. The opposition had a lot of accusations of fraud and irregularities. The Gnassingbé family has ruled Togo since 1967, meaning it is Africa’s longest lasting dynasty. See also History of Africa History of West Africa List of heads of government of Togo List of heads of state of Togo Politics of Togo Lomé history and timeline References Sources Most of the information here is derived from the U.S. Department of State website on Togo. Further reading Chafer, Tony. The End of Empire in French West Africa: France's Successful Decolonization. Berg (2002). External links Background Note: Togo