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Polling stations were largely deserted in Togo’s capital, Lomé, reflecting widespread voter apathy and fear following the crackdown on anti-government protests that left several people dead in June.
Togolese voters went to the polls Thursday for municipal elections that were seen as a test for leader Faure Gnassingbé, who has faced rare and deadly protests recently, following a constitutional reform that could effectively keep him in power indefinitely.
Polling stations were largely deserted in Togo’s capital, Lomé, reflecting widespread voter apathy and fear following the crackdown on anti-government protests that left several people dead in June.
Gnassingbé, who has ruled since 2005 after the death of his father and predecessor as president, Gnassingbé Eyadéma, was sworn in in May as president of the Council of Ministers.The powerful role has no official term limits, and he is eligible to be re-elected by Parliament indefinitely.
Diaspora-based social media influencers and civil society groups had called for a boycott of the municipal elections, the first national vote organized since the constitutional reform. They argued that the current electoral system lacks credibility and that the recent repression has silenced dissenting voices.
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Police and military patrols were stationed at major intersections throughout Lomé, reinforcing a heavy security presence that many residents said contributed to the atmosphere of unease.