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Opposition and religious leaders feel that the constitutional reforms proposed are eye-wash for the incumbent to continue in power. They allege that lawmakers passed the legislation in March after their mandate expired.
Togo is still in the grip of uncertainty although the controversial elections are just over. President Faure Gnassingbe has been in office since 2005. Earlier to that his father ruled the country, taking the total number of years ruled by the same family to 57 long years.
Opposition and religious leaders feel that the constitutional reforms proposed are eye-wash for the incumbent to continue in power. They allege that lawmakers passed the legislation in March after their mandate expired. Therefore, they do not have the legal backing and are unconstitutional. But the backers of the president rebut the apprehensions expressed by the opposition and clergy terming them as the right tools to strengthen democracy in the country.
The West African nation has been ruled by the same family for 57 years, initially by Eyadema Gnassingbe and then his son. Faure Gnassingbe took office after elections that the opposition described as a sham. The opposition says the proposed new constitution makes it likely that Gnassingbe will stay on when his mandate expires in 2025.
To lend credence to the assertions of the opposition, authorities cracked down on civic and media freedoms ahead of Monday’s vote. Early this month, the government banned protests against the proposed new constitution and the arrest of opposition figures. The electoral commission has banned the Catholic Church from deploying election observers. In mid-April, a French journalist who arrived to cover the elections was arrested, assaulted, and expelled. Togo’s media regulator later suspended the accreditation process for foreign journalists.
Some 4.2 million Togolese were registered to vote in the country of about 8 million people. Voters were electing candidates for 113 parliamentary seats — 22 more than in the previous assembly — and for the first time filling 179 senatorial positions. Preliminary results were expected within six days.
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Togo’s authorities sealed the borders on Monday for security reasons and dispatched some 12,000 gendarmes and police officers to safeguard the voting process. Amidst a rise in the spread of disinformation during elections in West Africa, authorities warned against disseminating false results or other misleading news. The electoral commission has also banned the Catholic Church from deploying election observers to monitor the process.
In Lome, an opposition stronghold, many Togolese young people are hoping for change. Voters will elect candidates to 113 parliamentary seats — 22 more than the previous assembly — and for the first time fill 179 senatorial positions. Preliminary results are slated for release within six days post-election. More than 14,200 polling stations operated nationwide from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Observer missions from the African Union among other organizations have been authorized to monitor the vote.
