Togolese elections by March 5 'at the latest'

Lome (AFP) - Togo's constitutional court announced Monday that presidential elections had to be held by March 5 "at the latest".

Voting in the West African country had to take place at least 60 days before the end of President Faure Gnassingbe's second term, which officially runs out on May 3, the court said in a statement read on national television.

The announcement comes as lawmakers debate a constitutional reform bill that would limit the number of presidential mandates to two five-year terms, barring Gnassingbe, 48, from seeking reelection.

A first draft of the bill was rejected in June by parliament, which is dominated by the president's ruling Rally of the Togolese People.

Gnassingbe has been in power since the 2005 death of his father, General Gnassingbe Eyadema, who ruled with an iron fist for 38 years.

The opposition disputed his election wins in 2005 and 2010.

Last year, several thousand protestors took to the streets of the capital Lome to demand Gnassingbe be barred from courting a third term.