Preparations are accelerating ahead of Togo’s presidential election of April 25, 2015.
Political actors in Togo and the international community are looking forward to the country’s presidential election of April 25, 2015 whose major stakes are the preservation of peace, stability, national cohesion and concord in view of consolidating democracy and economic development. The election was initially programmed to take place on April 15, 2015 but had to be postponed by 10 days to April 25, 2015 in order to correct organizational and material shortcomings, particularly related to voter roll and putting in place of electoral material.
Peace and Concord
The International Organisation of la Francophonie (OIF) has been working tirelessly with government authorities and political actors to have an acceptable voter roll. Peace is at moment hoped for as presidential candidates have agreed on the updated but still imperfect electoral list. An official of the OIF, Siaka Sangare admitted that, “The current state of the electoral list is good enough for the 2015 vote,” Reuters quoted. Reiterating consensus about the electoral list, he is quoted as further saying that, “I admit that it is not perfect but it is a list that has been approved by representatives of all candidates. I think the list is satisfactory.”
Imperfections on the voter roll was the main bone of contention between authorities and opposition parties. This necessitated the intervention of the Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), John Dramani Mahama who is also the President of Ghana said. After talks with the political actors, he proposed and with success the postponement of the vote by 10 days for the imperfections to be corrected.
Conquest of Power
Incumbent President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé who is running for the third consecutive term after winning the 2005 and 2010 presidential elections, apparently faces no major challenge. As the candidate of the ruling Union for the Republic (UNIR), he reportedly enjoys some hegemony as UNIR is well established in the country. He is equally said to be enjoying considerable resources in the political scene, mostly because the party leaders hold key positions in the State and public administration.
The opposition leaders have remained fragile and largely divided after failing to convince Faure Gnassingbé not to stand for re-election in the April 25, 2015 poll. The opposition indeed, has failed to come up with a single candidate to face the incumbent president in the poll. Alberto Olympio strongly advocates that 10 days are largely insufficient to correct the imperfections with regard to the presidential election. Supporters of another opposition candidate, Jean-Pierre Fabre who have formed an alliance of parties called “Combat pour l’alternance pacific” (CAP) are in favour of the updated electoral list. “We are satisfied that the anomalies have been detected and corrected,” Reuters quoted Brigitte Adjamagbe Johnson, a member of CAP as having said.
Economic, Social Development
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Togo just elsewhere in the West African Sub-region is crusading for the preservation of social peace and national cohesion wherever major elections are taking place. ECOWAS Chairman, Dramani Mahama in a final press release after brokering a deal with Togolese political actors to postpone the presidential election to April 25, 2015, urged them to take all necessary measures to ensure peace.
He advised that everything should be done to consolidate in Togo, the principles of democracy, good governance, peace and security as provided for in ECOWAS regulations. President Dramani Mahama reiterated that holding the election in an appeased atmosphere and in a transparent manner, will enable Togolese forge ahead with economic and social development in a spirit of national cohesion and concord.
